Culture Building & MVVs

Culture Building & MVVs – Definition

The ability to identify, live, proliferate, and build company culture, mission, vision, and values. It includes an understanding and working knowledge of the interaction between individuals and organizations. This skill is critical to the success of developing individuals and organizations.

Technical Specialist:
Understands the mission, vision, values, & other beliefs & behaviors a company lives by.

Sr. Technical Specialist:
Lives & reinforces organizational culture and MVVs through actions and communication. Has an in depth understanding of what culture is and why it is important in every organization.

Professional:
Mentors individuals on all cultural aspects of the organization. Collaborates with community members to increase positive cultural behaviors. One at this level has well developed cultural sensitivity within their organization.

Sr. Professional:
Influences team engagement through cultural initiatives & MVVs. Takes personal responsibility to influence, improve, and push culture forward. At this level was has developed cultural sensitivity within their organization as well as outside of the organization.

Leader:
Looks forward and leads necessary cultural developments in an environment of constant change. Stays in touch with industry best practices & changes in regards to culture. Understands the culture outside of one’s organization and uses that knowledge to develop and maintain key relationships.

Sr. Leader:
Identifies cultural needs and knows how to craft direction moving forward. Inspires the entire organization to not only to align with and live by the culture but to also look forward and build the culture as a team.

How to Develop Culture Building/MVVs

University Courses:

· HRM 300 – Organizational Behavior: Theories and concepts for creating effective organizations, e.g., individual, group, and organizational processes and human resource functions, including selection, compensation, and performance management.

· HRM 391 – Organizational Effectiveness: Theories and concepts for creating effective organizations, e.g., individual, group, and organizational processes and human resource functions, including selection, compensation, and performance management.

· Organizational Culture – (Stanford): Organizational culture Organizational culture is embedded in the everyday working lives of all cultural members. Manifestations of cultures in organizations include formal practices (such as pay levels, structure of the HIERARCHY,JOB DESCRIPTIONS, and other written policies); informal practices (such as behavioral norms); the organizational stories employees tell to explain “how things are done around here;” RITUALS (such as Christmas parties and retirement dinners); humor (jokes about work and fellow employees); jargon (the special language of organizational initiates); and physical arrangements (including interior decor, dress norms, and architecture). Cultural manifestations also include values, sometimes referred to more abstractly as content themes. It is essential to distinguish values/content themes that are espoused by employees from values/content themes that are seen to be enacted in behavior. All of these cultural manifestations are interpreted, evaluated, and enacted in varying ways because cultural members have differing interests, experiences, responsibilities and values.

Training / Other Courses:

· CultureCon USA – Conference

· Culture Summit Conference

· Zappos Culture Camp

· Organizational Culture Certification Workshop (Human Synergistics International)

· Udemy/Lynda (LinkedIn) Courses on Culture

Books / Publications:

· Build An “A” Team – Whitney Johnson

· The Culture Blueprint – Robert Richman

· The Culture Code – Daniel Coyle

· Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us – Seth Godin

· Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose – Tony Hsieh

· Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t – Simon Sinek

· Trillion Dollar Coach – Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle

· Brave New Work – Aaron Dignan

· Great Mondays – Josh Levine

· The Hero Factor – Jeffrey Hayzlett

· Company Culture For Dummies – Mike Gannino

Experiences:

· Read a book and conduct/participate in regular trainings

· Carry out an initiative that builds and proliferates company culture

· Train new employees on culture concepts, practices, etc.

· Memorize MVVs

· Learn about and then develop a personal purpose statement

· Work with mentors to learn & understand the purpose of cultural activities in one’s organization

· Seek out opportunities/initiatives that align with culture and MVVs

· Be engaged/present at organizational culture building activities

· Take current culture and find ways to apply it to specific teams to improve the performance, engagement and alignment of yourself and others

· Meet with a different team/organization and learn about their culture. Record your findings and present them to an interested group.

· Research about culture and write an article, share what was learned with your mentor, coworkers, or team

· With the support of your supervisor lead a cultural change initiative

How to Demonstrate Culture Building/MVVs

DO: Describe what you did in completing / achieving your development plan

· Describe your mutually agreed upon assignment or other chosen but related activity and why you chose it.

· Share other activities or opportunities that surfaced while engaged in your chosen approach and how they captured your attention in support of your chosen direction.

· Share experiential Culture Building/MVV discoveries using before and after comparisons describing what you learned and how it has changed your approach to life and business.

ASSESS: Share, if applicable, any assessments that were taken / provided related to your activities

· Report final grade and grades on substantial projects or papers

· If no formal assessment is available, be prepared to explain your own assessment of your journey in this area and any results coming from you efforts.

· Report feedback from others you interact with that authenticates claimed positive change or progress.

LEARN: Explain what you felt that you were able to learn during your journey / experiences

· Take organized notes throughout your experience highlighting what was learned and ideas of how to apply new knowledge moving forward

· Discuss your developmental learning experience. Specifically include new knowledge acquired, changes in outlooks resulting from the learning, and any ah-ha experiences that have permanently altered your approach going forward.

· Articulate learned principles, practice and new awareness incorporated as a result of new learning.

APPLY: Give specifics examples where you have / plan to make direct application to your work

· Use ideas and knowledge from notes/journal and create a plan or initiative to apply what was learned to add to the Culture, Mission, Vision, and Values of your organization

· Explain revelatory experiences you encountered or other practical knowledge you have incorporated into your work that has changed your approach to your current responsibilities or that you expect to help you as you move forward.

· Share how your new approaches to your work is impacting specific work and relationship outcomes.

REFLECT: Review / consider things you would have done differently had you had this experience earlier

· Think back on your work and/or life approach before your recent learning and progress in your current selected journey. Identify any weaknesses that have held you back from progressing.

· Share specific experiences where past outcomes could have been different if you knew then what you know now. Project possible future experience examples where you may be able to predict positive outcomes directly related to your recent learning.