Aligning Strategy with Corporate Culture: Why It Matters

Corporate culture is often described as the “way we do things around here.” But it’s much more than that—it’s the foundation on which your strategy is built. If your strategy and culture are misaligned, even the most well-thought-out plans can falter. Aligning strategy with corporate culture is essential for ensuring that your organisation’s goals are not only achievable but also sustainable.

Why Alignment Matters:

When strategy and culture are aligned, employees are more likely to embrace and execute the strategic plan. This alignment fosters a sense of ownership and commitment, driving the organisation toward its goals. On the other hand, a disconnect between culture and strategy can lead to resistance, confusion, and ultimately, failure to achieve strategic objectives.

Steps to Align Strategy with Corporate Culture:

  1. Understand Your Existing Culture:

Why It Matters: Before aligning strategy with culture, you need to understand the cultural norms, values, and behaviours that currently exist within your organisation.

How to Achieve It: Conduct cultural assessments through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Look for patterns in how decisions are made, how people communicate, and what behaviours are rewarded. This will give you a clear picture of your current cultural landscape.

  • Define the Cultural Attributes Needed for Strategic Success:

Why It Matters: Identifying the cultural attributes that support your strategic goals helps bridge any gaps between where you are and where you need to be.

How to Achieve It: Work with leadership to define the key cultural attributes that align with your strategic objectives. For example, if innovation is a strategic priority, fostering a culture that encourages risk-taking and creative thinking will be essential.

  • Communicate and Reinforce Cultural Alignment:

Why It Matters: Employees need to understand how the strategy aligns with the corporate culture to fully engage with it.

How to Achieve It: Clearly communicate the connection between the strategic goals and cultural values through town halls, internal communications, and leadership messaging. Reinforce this alignment by recognising and rewarding behaviours that support the strategy.

  • Measure and Adjust:

Why It Matters: Culture is dynamic, and maintaining alignment requires ongoing effort.

How to Achieve It: Regularly assess cultural alignment through employee feedback, engagement surveys, and performance metrics. Be prepared to make adjustments to either the strategy or cultural initiatives as needed to maintain alignment.

Conclusion:

Aligning strategy with corporate culture is not a one-time task—it’s an ongoing process that requires attention and adjustment. By ensuring that your strategy is deeply rooted in your organisation’s cultural strengths, you can create a powerful synergy that drives success and sustains growth over the long term.