Strategy, Execution, and Culture
MGMT440-E1WW (W15)
Prof. Angela Rembert
January 8, 2015
Influencing Organizational Performance Leaders in any form, be it faculty or management roles in an organization, require a certain amount of discipline while also focusing on being well-rounded. There are many instances where leadership roles place values and beliefs of an organization within the realm of culture in order to create strategy that is going to boost productivity and efficiency. Culture can work in many ways to not only support diversity and cohesion among employees, but also help employees see value in their work. The culture, made up by the beliefs and values of the organization, is the largest component in morale and satisfaction shaping, in addition to the main driver of motivation and interactions between employees and leadership roles (Heskett 2012). Strategy and execution go together in that the strategy created by the culture of the organization and the gumption of leadership is carried out in some way that is in direct correlation with the culture that shaped the strategy. If a culture is employee-focused and has beliefs and values catered to creating a healthy work environment, then the execution of the strategies set will be effective and productive in nature. All three elements of culture, execution, and strategy, are driven by the beliefs and values of an organization and all directly relate to the perception of the beliefs and values.
Competitive Edge It is important to note the role that the three elements of culture, execution, and strategy play in giving an organization a competitive edge. Because competition is human nature, it is the natural driver of wanting “bigger and better” means of production, manufacturing, distribution, and motivation of employees. As stated above, the three elements listed all directly correlate according to the effort placed by employees and the examples set by leadership roles. When the culture is healthy and efficient, then productivity is boosted, and when the culture of an organization is profit-first and uses employees for profit rather than care for their needs, then the productivity and success is greatly lowered. Having a competitive edge means to be better than the competitors in the same industry, and this is difficult to do when there are already vast improvements made to numerous process and resources of production, as well as new management tactics (Heskett 2012). When culture is healthy and the productivity matches, it allows employees and leadership roles to put forth new ideas to better the company, and perhaps allow a company to gain a new edge of competition. Success in competitive edge is not only measured by the numbers of products made or the sales goals achieved, but also by the job satisfaction and morale of the employees.
Connecting Culture with “Know Why-How-What-and Who?” The concept of “know why-how-what-and who” shows the connection that leadership roles have with the requirements of an organization’s culture. “Know why” focuses on the mission and the purpose of the organization, guiding leadership roles to base their beliefs and values from the company’s set goals and values, thus creating assumptions taught to new employees (Heskett 2012). “Know How” is important in that it takes the assumptions that the leadership roles learn, and pass them onto employes while also setting the expectations for the actions of employees and making clear the artifacts and resources
