Every organisation has a unique culture and this culture
either helps or prevents the organisation growth and
change initiatives. While there are number of training
initiatives and transformation initiatives that takes
place in organisations, very little is done to assess,
understand and analyse the influence of culture in an
organisation’s growth. I have heard the story that I am
sharing here in different forms. I am also not sure
where this research was done but the overall learning’s
from the story makes sense.
Four monkeys are in a cage, and a single banana is
placed in the centre. When one of the monkeys approaches
the banana, he receives a low-intensity but startling
electric shock. He retreats. When another monkey
approaches the banana, the first monkey shrieks and
dances in warning. This pattern is repeated until all
the monkeys have been warned. The banana remains
untouched. The experiment continues. One by one, the
original monkeys are removed and replaced. Each newcomer
is warned against touching the banana, not by an
electric shock but by its peers. Eventually, four new
monkeys are in the cage. None has been shocked, but none
touches the banana.
So what are the things that influence and thus determine
the prevailing culture? “If corporate culture is the sum
of the behaviour patterns a company’s employees
characteristically use to perform their jobs, how do
employees learn these behaviours? If the culture is the
“way we do things over here”, how did it form?
If we look at children, they learn to deal with the
world around them by watching and copying the
characteristic behaviours and communications style of
their parents, their friends, and other role models whom
they interact. So many a times we have noticed that
children may not listen to what you say but watch what
you do and imitate that. Likewise, employees learn to
function in companies by watching and emulating the
characteristic behaviour and using the language of
co-workers and highly visible managers who have achieved
status, recognition and rewards within the company. This
is how culturally consistent behaviours are learned and
passed on to others.
But then why the co-workers and highly visible managers
showed those specific behavioural traits at first place?
There are many external influencers that influence the
culture and some of them are:
• The industrial or market sector in which the
organisation exists (the manufacturing sector having a
different culture compared to software industry)
• The products made or sold or the service(s) offered
• The economic climate in which the organisation exists
• The political climate
• The shareholders
• The customers
• The suppliers
• The local culture
• Any other stakeholders
Even if external influencers are the same, there are a
number of internal influencers that create a
differentiation. Some of the internal influencers are:
• Leadership style(s)
• Management competence
• Technical/ professional skills base
• Equipment/ technology
• Work environment
This means by changing internal influencing factors like
leadership styles, processes and systems, an
organisation could move into a new culture regardless of
the external environment and influences.
Written by Santhosh Babu
Published in The Financial Express: Saturday, December
09, 2006.
