Culture and Values

I've been thinking a lot about culture.  It underlies everything.  Culture is a reflection of unwritten values and perspectives.  Sometimes we profess a certain set of values but we act on others.   It often creates organizational confusion. We lack integrity.  We are not walking the talk.  Organizationally, we lose our motivation to perform.  The system can not be trusted. 

What is going on here?  Why are humans so complex and contradictory?  And really, why do humans create cultures that do us harm?   That can truly break our heart?  It doesn't make sense. 

One of the takeaways from a cultural competence workshop I did last week is helping me work through this. On one side I placed a brainstorm of my values.  These are the principles that are important to me and that I can get excited about.  On the other side are my needs or how I want people to view me. 

We hope that there is always alignment between the two.  That is where the delicate balance of acting with integrity lays. 

My Values	My Needs (How I want people to view me)
Justice	Be Right
Love	Liked or likable
Independence / Self-Reliance	Useful
Self-Reflection	Thoughtful  and resourceful
Continuous learning and personal growth	Effective and reliable
Mutual Respect	Be respected and appreciated
Collaboration	Collaborative
Service to others	Helpful
Competence	Able to get things done – competent and effective
Integrity	Has integrity, is principled and ethical
Honesty / Truth	Trustworthy and direct

But sometimes we struggle with integrity in this model.  For example, if I don't feel appreciated by someone it is difficult for me to act in service to that person.  Or if I don't feel like I'm right it makes it difficult for me to feel competent. 

What happens to me personally when there is not alignment?
1. I get angry.  Anger is my personal trigger.  It alerts me to something being wrong.  Others may feel fear, guilt, sadness or shame.
2. Then confused and frustrated.
3. I feel misunderstood and unappreciated.  This makes me sad. 
4. I self-reflect and try to make meaning and learn from the situation.
5. I act if necessary. 

And then it happens again. 

At an organizational level the outcome is much more complex, usually results in exclusion and disillusionment of key constituents and eventually leads to dysfunction if left unchecked.  It will only correct itself if there is an institutional and cultural commitment to continuously learning through feedback and reflection. 

Self- assessment is key. 

Leadership needs to ask itself if it is really is aligning its actions to its mission and values. If it isn't it needs to rethink itself, its professed values, its actions and how it wants to be perceived both internally and externally.  Without wholeheartedly taking this step everyday, we will continue to create cultures that harm our own intentions and relationships.