When Organizational Culture Fails….

A recent Business Insider article on Uber’s self-driving car incident goes in-depth into the culture of the company. Uber has been going through changes for over a year, beginning with the CEO being fired in 2017 amid charges of sexual harassment claims throughout the company.

Uber has been focused on developing a self-driving car in an effort to stay innovative with the automotive industry. But all of the disagreements, focus on “user experience” over safety, and power struggles have left the company reeling. And at the heart of it is this:

organizational culture

Sound familiar?

Yes, it rings the same as the most recent Wells Fargo scandal of false accounts being created in order to meet goals set by leadership.

The reality is that an organization’s culture is the key to success in the long-term.

The type of dysfunction described in the Business Insider article can only lead to a downward spiral. Why? Because people will be more focused on keeping their power and/or achieving individual or unit goals instead of thinking about what is best for the company as a whole.

If this type of culture is prevalent in your organization, how can you have a culture about risk that is mindful of risks and makes deliberate decisions about what to do?

You can’t.

In fact, you have a negative risk culture focused on taking more risks without even realizing it.

But before you can focus on cultivating a positive risk culture, you have to change the overall organizational culture, which will not be easy. As I mentioned in a recent article, changing organizational culture is a long-term endeavor that must be managed closely.

How is your organization’s culture? Do you have backstabbing and power struggles? Or do you work collaboratively and focus on the good of the organization?

I would love to hear from you. Comment below or join the conversation on LinkedIn.

If you need guidance on improving your organization’s risk culture, please contact me so we can talk about potential solutions for your specific challenges.

Featured image courtesy of energepic.com via Pexels.com

 

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Meet Carol Williams, SDS Founder & Lead Strategist

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This blog was launched to provide strategy and risk practitioners with a go-to resource to better guide their efforts within their companies. Thank you for bringing me and my team along to be part of your journey towards better risk management, strategic planning and execution, and overall decision-making. Happy reading!

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