Culture shift is possible

There is a reason some words take on a buzz. Words like 'empowerment' and 'collaboration.' It's because at a core level, people want the good feelings that go along with what those words have come to mean and to represent. People want respect. Workers want to believe that their colleagues and their bosses believe they have something of value to contribute. Plus, as human beings, we want connections. We've come to believe that things work better when the people are working together. After all, two heads are better than one. There has, too, been a recurring, expressed desire for more entrepreneurial cultures in organizations of all types, sizes and sectors. A cry for innovation. A call for new thinking. And, in some cases a caution for the responsibility that goes along with all such good things.

In late March, Monitor released an excellent framework that speaks to the opportunities of infusing an entrepreneurial culture and the bold, courageous moves required by leadership to help it take hold and be sustained. It asserts that companies "do have the power to break down the cultural and organizational barriers to entrepreneurship" and it identifies three inter-connected enablers required to move it forward along with the five levers for making it work.

For me, examining their findings, my eyes were opened to why I am consistently drawn to organizations in transition and those trying to break beyond business as usual. The consideration for executive leadership, aligned incentives, clear direction, celebration of things good and things learned, and the overwhelming power of one's space ring true. As do the enabling connections between intention, action and impression.