COULD AN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STRATEGIST HELP YOU FUEL CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION?

In the world of organizational development, a culture strategist is a professional who helps organizations build and maintain a strong, positive workplace culture that aligns with the company’s values, goals, and brand. Work-wise, HR leaders and management teams hire a culture strategist to assist with a variety of tasks.

Assessing company culture: A typical strategy consulting pro will conduct in-depth analysis and assessment of an organization’s existing culture. That means examining aspects like company values, mission and purpose, leadership style, workplace policies, communication norms, employee experience, and organizational rituals and symbols. The assessment identifies strengths to leverage and pain points or areas for improvement.

Identifying cultural needs: Based on the cultural assessment, the culture strategist maps the current organizational landscape against the ideal or desired culture. That allows them to pinpoint specific needs and priorities to address in order to shape the vibe and values thar professionals aim to create. Needs may relate to communication, leadership development, employee engagement policies, workspace design, or realigning behaviors with values.

Developing culture shaping strategies: The best culture strategists are responsible for developing strategies, initiatives, and programs to effectively influence an organization’s culture. Think tasks like evolving mission and value statements, remodeling physical workspaces, introducing new policies or training programs, or rolling out symbolism campaigns. The point is to operationalize an aspirational culture across people, process, and place.

Driving adoption: Simply developing strategies is not enough; top culture strategists also assist with the activation plan and ongoing adoption of cultural initiatives. It requires securing executive buy-in, marketing efforts, managing timelines, training leaders and employees, measuring impact, and iterating based on feedback. Change management is a central component.

Sustaining culture: The work of a consulting expert doesn’t end once a strategy is implemented. Tracking progress and continuing to reinforce and nurture the desired cultural traits are critical for sustainability. Advisors do this through leadership coaching, community building efforts, realigning systems and processes, and ensuring the company lives its values daily.

Reviewing the details, a culture strategist serves a dynamic role as an organizational advisor combined with a change agent. Blending analysis, strategy, and a passion for people, culture strategists take a thoughtful approach to evolving shared beliefs, mindsets and behaviors that allow an organization and its people to thrive.