Curious about harmonizing diversity in your team? Share your strategies for blending individual values into a unified culture.
Navigating a culture shift is like steering a ship through rough waters. Start by holding open discussions where everyone can share their values and perspectives. Share a story about a team that held a values workshop, allowing members to align their personal goals with the team's vision. Emphasize shared goals and celebrate small wins together. This builds unity while respecting individuality. How do you guide your team through change?
Culture change involves questioning indiviudals' actions, behaviors and, most importantly, core values - they are the drivers behind the motivation to change. My strategy to bridge the diversified team perspectives (and values behind them) is to open up an inclusive dialogue about the values. Enquire the team about: - what is their individual definition of each of the strategic corp values? - do they observe these values expressed in behaviors, being "lead by example"? - which they find to be the easiest to adapt? - which they find as the most challenging? - where is the mismatch with their personal core values? Include all the perspectives. Define the common grounds.
Many believe that shared values clash with individual ones, but that doesn’t have to be the case. It’s possible to honor individual differences while upholding common values. Take the shared value of "being truthful," for example. In some companies, candor is essential—they expect people to challenge ideas and have tough discussions. The goal is to critique the idea, not the person. For some, especially introverts, speaking up in the moment may be tough. But by allowing time to reflect and prepare, companies can support individual needs while preserving the value of truthfulness. It’s not the value that overrides individuality—it’s how it’s practiced.