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Culture Shift: A Shortcut to Cultural Alignment
March 24, 2008
The beginning of a profound culture shift in your business may be closer and easier than you think.
By Paul Levesque
Many of us remember participating in the classroom science experiment in which Iron filings were sprinkled like pepper onto a sheet of paper. A bar magnet was then positioned beneath the paper, and the individual iron particles shifted and moved under the magnet's influence to create a pattern of lines radiating from one magnetic pole to the other. Although the position of each separate particle changed very little, the overall pattern looked very different: it transformed from a random scattering of black specks to a clearly distinguishable series of dark lines in alignment with each other.
In cultural terms, the change from a random group of individuals aimed in all directions to a unified team pulling in a single direction can similarly involve very little change at the "individual contributor" level. Yet, here too, the change produces a strikingly different organizational pattern overall.
But what kind of "outside force" can generate this kind of change? In a business setting, what can bring random employee energy into alignment the same way a magnetic field lines up randomly scattered bits of iron?
Aspirational Fields
One of the most prominent differences in all highly energized businesses is that everyone in the organization is pursuing the same single objective. Not only that, but the goal is almost invariably an aspirational objective. The entire workforce is engaged in a collective effort to make the world better, to make the community better or to make things better for customers in some way.
This aspirational element makes all the difference. It's what inspires workers to consistently pour the best of their energies and talents into the effort. The aspirational objective becomes the context for everything that takes place within the business during every hour of every day. It's the basic "why" that clarifies the purpose behind all the meetings, projects and activities that occupy everyone’s time in the workplace. And, at the cultural level, it creates what we can call an "aspirational field"—a force that brings all other cultural elements into alignment. Once aligned, employees can suddenly see how all the random bits of "busy work" are actually pointing in the same direction, toward the same desired result.
Putting Culture into Context
We all know a sense of ownership and involvement has a great motivational effect on employees. But "knowing" is not the same as "doing." Few businesses manage to create any real feeling of ownership in their workers. Those that do are often pleasantly surprised to discover that improved motivation and morale are not the only immediate benefits—a stronger sense of employee involvement can also dramatically shift an organizational culture into greater alignment.
To illustrate, let's look at CVS Pharmacy. In their 5,000-plus stores, the company creates opportunities for employees to develop their own ideas for improving the customer experience. The context for cultural alignment at CVS is summarized in the slogan "CVS Easy." As Eileen Howard Dunn, VP of corporate communications, explains, this simple phrase is a mantra that guides all activities at all levels, and helps the decision-making process. The question is always, "Will a given idea help make things easier for customers?"
New ideas get surfaced through the company’s intranet service, according to Dunn. "[The ideas] are reviewed and they go all the way up to our chairman. [He] is always encouraging our employees to…take initiative, to think…what's the next level, what do we need to do to bring our customers new and exciting ideas?”
And, to reinforce its cultural alignment, CVS produces a glossy full-color newsletter called Real Stories, in which each page is devoted to a story detailing a "fantastic thing one or more employees did for [an] appreciative customer," in Dunn's words. The company also bestows "Paragon Awards" to store managers involved in exceptional customer experiences. A video production team creates a mini-documentary that interviews customers and chronicles how these Paragons have made a difference in their lives, which are screened at the annual corporate sales meeting. "[Winners] get trips around the world for them and their families," says Dunn. "It's a huge deal."
Prescription for Alignment
Whether on a huge or modest scale, the formula for creating cultural alignment virtually always begins with an aspirational objective—one for which workers can feel personal ownership. Once that critical first step has been taken, the remaining steps are surprisingly easy: help employees successfully implement their ideas; gather positive feedback from delighted customers; and use this feedback as the basis for ongoing employee recognition and celebration.
And the prescription for maximum alignment? Repeat the above cycle until the effects of the aspirational field are being felt across the organization. Celebrate noisily and often. Continue to repeat indefinitely.
 Looking to align your employees with an aspirational objective but unsure where to begin? Listen to this week's "Culture Shift" podcast for some quick tips to get you started.
Incentive online "Culture Shift" columnist Paul Levesque is an author, seminar leader and public speaker with two decades' experience as an international business consultant specializing in the connection between employee motivation and customer satisfaction. He is a senior consultant with Boston-based Novations Inc., and is also founder and CEO of Customer Focus Breakthroughs Inc.
Eileen Howard Dunn originally interviewed by Paul Levesque for Customer Service Made Easy (Entrepreneur Press, 2006)
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