NURTURING THE RIGHT ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE FOR INNOVATION 

Culture is simply the way things are carried out in the organization based on the organization’s values and beliefs and rules of operation which shape the organization. This is evident in the organization’s mission and vision statements, core values and rules of operation and guidelines.

The competitive business environment, the ever changing consumer expectations, rapid changes in technology have forced organizations to change their style of operation to be able to focus on delivering quality products and services and rapidly respond to the market needs  in order to remain relevant in the market.  

Organization culture is intrinsically related to how the organization will perform. Culture influences how an organization responds to change; depending on the prevalent culture, an organization can either rapidly respond or impede the change process. We have witnessed that highly successful organizations have developed unique characteristics that sets them apart; this may include how they package their products, deal with customers among other things putting them on the market edge and attract customers hence increasing their market share.

An organizational culture is one aspect of the organization that determines the strategies and goals alignment in the organization. Strategies and goals will only be achieved if the right culture exists in an organization. A strong organizational culture is characterized by clear values, mission and vision, interdependence across departments, communication, continuous improvement and realistic measurements and benchmarks; organizational cultures that provide an environment which empowers employees to be creative and problem-solvers to be able to come up with innovative solutions for every dynamic problem.; an organization where employees work towards the same purpose and goal in order to provide the best quality products and services to meet customer needs and requirements; culture that emphasizes on employee participants, teamwork, risk taking and experiment  and results-oriented.

Leadership has a responsibility to understand existing culture in their organization and work with it. Above everything it is their responsibility to nurture the right culture that promotes organization efficiency and effectiveness. Leaders must create strong organizational culture where everyone is attached to the organization and respects its policies and guidelines.

There are instances where there exists more than one culture in an organization depending on various aspects including gender, age, and profession. It is upon the leader in an organization to encourage common languages and goals for the organization to have shared purpose among the subcultures. The right organizational culture is reinforced through organizational learning, teamwork and interdependence, rewards systems and the management’s support.

An organization culture of innovation affects competitiveness. To remain competitive there is need for organizations to embrace cultures that support innovation, if need be change their existing cultures. It is important to manage culture; the first step is to recognize the types of culture present in an organization and then adopt cultures that encourage innovation.

Organizational norms and values will determine where an organization will go and how fast it can get there. An organization culture will determine how it adapts to innovation and change which may motivate or impede organization’s performance or effectiveness.  Therefore it is important to emphasize innovative cultures in the organization and foster them throughout the organization to gain competitive advantage.