CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION


When researching an event, historians will often talk about how that incident fit within a greater context. In other words, what were the social, economic, political, technological, and educational conditions and the cultural norms during the period in which the event occurred? For example, during the American Revolution, what inspired some colonials to rise up against the "tyranny" of George III while others continued to maintain loyal to the crown, and still others contented themselves with sitting on the sidelines, minding their own business and waiting to see which way this Declaration of Independence thingy was going to end up? Rooted in the cultural web of Mother England, the loyalists viewed the upstarts as traitors, whereas the revolutionaries—having put down brand-new cultural roots in the new world—considered themselves patriots. What role did the example, the elocution, and the writings of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and other champions of liberty play in persuading common folk to take up arms against the crown, in instilling a new culture of democracy, and in chartering a new nation? What role do their words and deeds continue to play today?

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Partnering Culture

In short, those visionary leaders made the business case for a revolution. Understanding what they did and said and how they influenced thought and opinion is instructional in appreciating the power of culture to shape human behavior. Had King George had his own cable news network and a media-savvy communications (spin) director, Americans today might be calling the hoods of their cars bonnets, drinking warm beer by the yard, and heeding (or ignoring) "mind the gap" instead of "watch your step." The obstinate, going-mad-slowly monarch could only see the culture in which he lived; he had no idea that a new culture had been born across the pond and was racing like wildfire across the colonies. Oh, and did we mention that the leaders of the American Revolution walked the talk? Consider the enormous impact of twenty-one-year-old Nathan Hale's final words, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Talk about leading by example!

How do the examples of America's founding leaders compare with the examples set by the senior executives of Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, and similar organizations? America's ongoing experiment with democracy has been prospering for more than two hundred years. How long did Enron last? WorldCom ran away from its name and became MCI. As of this writing, Tyco continues to struggle to rebound from million-dollar birthday parties and other excesses.

Leaders create the environment that enables people to achieve or fail. Thus, a leader's ability to create a foundation for openness to other people's ideas, thoughts, perceptions, information, beliefs, and values is a critical component in creating a diverse culture of ideas. Silencing people by intimidation and fear only limits a leader's ability to be successful in the Dual Age of Information and Connections. Openness within the culture is established through communication, including self-disclosure and feedback and the building of trust.

Self-Disclosure and Feedback and the Ability to Trust

The smart partnering attributes Self-Disclosure and Feedback and Ability to Trust are intertwined. Words and action bond together and result in trust. When we say we are going to do something and then do it, we build trust. If we don't do it, we damage trust. Others will view us as either trustworthy or untrustworthy based on whether what we do is consistent with what we say.

Bob is constantly telling his boss Sue that he intends to call on a difficult customer. The days turn into weeks, and Bob still has not called on the customer. Sue follows up on a weekly basis. After about a month, Sue tells Bob not to bother and asks Mark to follow up with the difficult customer. Sue no longer trusts that Bob will follow up. Bob is disappointed that Sue took the responsibility away from him and claims he had every intention of calling on the customer. But Sue simply didn't believe Bob anymore. "He just doesn't want to call on the customer, and even though it's his job, I can't make him do it. It's easier to give the job to someone else."

This sort of situation points out two different types of trust: task and relationship. Sue does not trust Bob to accomplish the task she expects him to do, but she has also lost confidence in her relationship with him, hence the avoidance strategy. These two areas of trust are not always linked. For example, Sue may trust Bob to support her in a meeting (a relationship issue), but not trust him to call on the difficult customer (a task issue)—or the other way around. In either situation trust is diminished. When both a lack of trust in the relationship and a lack of trust that the task will get done are present, the overall level of trust is greatly diminished.

Two strategies for building a foundation for openness within the business are cultivating self-disclosure and feedback and making a conscientious effort at building, sustaining, and measuring trust; the two are interrelated. Let's start with self-disclosure and feedback.




Powerhouse Partners. A Blueprint for Building Organizational Culture for Breakaway Results
Powerhouse Partners: A Blueprint for Building Organizational Culture for Breakaway Results
ISBN: 0891061959
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 94

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