The 8-Inch Shark

I read an article recently that reinforced the incredible power of organizational culture in creating sustained business success. The gist of the article was that a shark that grows up in a fish tank will grow to 8 inches, but that a shark that grows up in the ocean will grow to 8 feet.

The business takeaway for us humans is that people will grow as “big” as the business culture they are in allows them to grow. If people are given adequate resources, encouragement, and opportunities, then they can actualize their full personal potential and their full potential for contributing to the success of the business.

I have been fascinated by the power of organizational culture since the early research in this area. I was especially struck by The Fundamental Attribution Error in which we attribute control to people that they don’t actually have.

For example, calling someone “lazy” when they are in a business culture that underpays them and treats them with very little respect or encouragement. In this situation a thinking person will balance the social equity scales by minimizing the effort they put into their job. It makes little sense to give your best effort is there’s nothing in it for you.

As the leader of an organization, you have complete control of the culture of that organization. You have all the power—the behavior that you reward increases, and the behavior that you ignore or punish decreases.

What you reward or punish depends on your core values, which are “how we do things around here.” For example, a “we value profit over customer satisfaction” business culture is very different from a “we treat people like we want to be treated” business culture.

The bottom line is that, as a leader, your core values as demonstrated by your behavior (not your words) become the culture of your organization. Use your power wisely. 

Don’t be a stranger. (770) 993-1129. tdockery@TheResolveFirm.com