KEYS TO A STRONG AND HEALTHY CULTURE

Cristina Garcia Brunet, Human Resources Director at Grupo Freixenet

Strategy, consumers and people are the three major axes of the Freixenet Group, pillars that every single company should have in mind and constantly nourish.

In a strategy that sets a formal logic to accomplish business goals, consumers are “the main reason to be,” and people are the main asset that will help us enhance a long-term sustainable relationship with the first two.

Even though every business and company is unique, culture transformation is a key common element to boost a continuous improvement “DNA” that ensures excellence and success.

Culture sets goals through shared values and beliefs and gives guidelines to the activity, defining group norms, among others. Once aligned with strategy and leadership, a strong and healthy culture drives positive organizational outcomes.

1. Empowerment vs. challenge to leadership

Who thinks that culture transformation is something leaders should lead is WRONG!

Culture goes much deeper and applies at all levels of the organization, gaining a much wider scope. For example, at the Freixenet Group, we are developing a culture project led by employees from different departments and responsibility levels. They have been called “Culture Champions” since they will be in charge of transmitting our values to all their colleagues in the company, collecting initiatives and developing an action plan to implement them.

Change happens when people “take action”. So, YES! Empower your people.

People must lead the process by making leaders “sponsors” of the cultural transformation process by promoting active listening, providing safe paths to share new ideas and embracing the results.

"When putting trust at the center of our relations, culture teams must be empowered to create their own governance."

When it comes to authority (hierarchical organizations), no resistance or little friction means that no change is actually happening. Being able to move leaders out of their comfort zone and putting them in a humble and self-critical position is a healthy way to engage them and speed up the desired changes. This also means that leadership must embrace failure as a learning that will make us grow in the near future.

2. Global, inclusive and dynamic

When it comes to talent acquisition, we are more likely to select people that “fit in” since culture changes lives in the collective beliefs and habits and their shared perception of “how things are usually done here.”

Creating diverse and inclusive culture teams that can share opportunities, threats and challenges and deal with them from different perspectives will boost the impact of the culture transformation deployment.

Do not forget to let technology be your greatest ally to speed up connections within culture team members, and why not create a global network if the organization has different affiliates?

3. Learning heaven in a VUCA environment

Cultural transformation is a nonstop learning process for all of us. Therefore, the process itself should have green comfort learning zones.

Remember that learning does not only come from “training.” “On-the-job learning” is very powerful. Create best practice exchanges and workshops, and if you are planning to recruit internal culture ambassadors, train and provide them with agile tools for effective deployment.

This will enrich the efficiency, employability and engagement of your organization now that we are facing a BANI socioeconomic context (Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear and Incomprehensible).

4. Quick wins vs. Deep wins

Engagement usually comes from personal and professional development, but it multiplies when we see that our actions have a positive impact on the organization.

Imagine, then, how powerful quick wins can be. When celebrating quick wins, we are giving credibility to the transformation process. That will result in “extra oxygen” to turn resistance into opportunities.

Do not forget deep wins, which are those that will provide you with effectiveness in a long-term plan.

5. Governance and monitoring

When putting trust at the center of our relations, culture teams must be empowered to create their own governance. However, they will need guidance from top management.

The creation of Culture Committees is a good way to monitor and ensure that all goals are accomplished, as our experience in the Freixenet Group has shown. It also creates a safe zone for everyone involved to define OKRs that will ensure that specific monitoring is also done for each implanted action (quick or deep wins).

Trust in your people, and you will discover how powerful it is to watch them shine!

Agile