What happens if an organization handles dysfunctional cultures?



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MATTHIAS NGWANGWAMA

As people get older and mature, the more they think about how things could have been improved in the fundamental stages.

Similarly, as nations and organizations evolve, it becomes clear that certain habits, attitudes, behaviors and practices could have been better developed in the early years.

At this stage of awareness, it is almost pointless to get involved in a game of reproach or simply to remember how things could have been done differently. At this point, the useful practice might be to consider the options available in the present moment to make things better.

This is where the ongoing debates in organizations, especially in public enterprises, become relevant: the question of how things that seem to have been done in a casual or negligent way over the course of fundamental years can be understood. improved at this stage.

This is a difficult question. It looks like a parent who only belatedly realizes that his grown-up child could have been much better educated during his founding and adolescence. What options are available for such a parent? Re-educate the child? Give up the child? Reniger the child? Persevere with the child?

A quick test of assessing the effectiveness of organizations is to assess the type of cultures that manifest in the organization.

Some organizational cultures are functional, other dysfunctional. Functional cultures are those that contribute to the achievement of organizational goals. On the other hand, dysfunctional cultures are those that hinder organizational success. In general, dysfunctional cultures are a symptom of an anomaly in the growth and development of the organization and, therefore, a signal of change.

These are symptoms of organizational distress and an early warning or leading indicator of future organizational difficulties, including financial difficulties. Given periodic consternations, such as factions and frictions, suspensions and trials, frequently reported by local media, it can be concluded that dysfunctional cultures are daily manifestations in Namibia.

A quick barometer of whether something is wrong with organizations might be to answer what academics call the 10 classic growth pains.

The classic growth pains include the following symptoms:

• People feel "there are not enough hours in the day".

• People spend too much time "extinguishing fires".

• People are not aware of what others are doing.

• People do not really understand where the organization is going.

• There are too few good managers.

• People think, "I have to do it myself if I want it to be done properly."

• Most people think meetings are a waste of time.

• When plans are established, there is very little follow up, so nothing is done.

• Some people have started not feeling safe about their place in the organization.

• The organization continued to increase sales but not profits

Whenever you experience such symptoms, be aware that these are classic symptoms of the fact that something is wrong in the growth and development of the organization and therefore requires change management.

As well as night after day, dysfunctional organizational cultures are likely to be experienced in the lifecycle of organizations. The important question is what can be done about it. The classic answer is often Jim Collins' answer: "put the right people on the bus, the wrong people on the bus and the right people in the right places."

However, this response may not always be practical in developing countries because of the skills shortage dilemma and other contextual reasons. It's easy to put the right people on the bus and the wrong people on the bus in developing countries because of the skill level and the sophistication and development of their skills.

In developing countries, a practical way to deal with dysfunctional cultures might be to focus on leadership. Leaders have several primary mechanisms of integrating culture.

As such, culture is built entirely through the behavior of leaders. Culture is the shadow of leadership. Complementarily focusing on leadership, identifying and filling critical positions with the right people can be a response to dysfunctional cultures.

To evaluate critical positions, it is necessary to answer questions such as key positions in the organization. What percentage of key positions is filled with the right people? What are the measures to increase the percentage of key positions with the right people? What are the backup plans if key people leave the organization?

Everything goes up and down on leadership. The world badly needs good leaders who can inspire people, not only by words, but by service to others. A bad leader invested with power can single-handedly collapse an organization. The world needs prepared and renewed leaders with the capacity to deal with the complex issues of the 21st century, including dysfunctional environments.

The types of managers and leaders needed in the twenty-first century are not the wise and the learned, but those who are insightful, thoughtful and able to judge the evil of the just. Leaders who can help find and put into practice a more just way to enable humanity to live by sharing a common destiny in the universe.

It's not just about leaders with the right qualifications, but about the mindset. The right mentality can include the person's lifestyle, incorporating basic spiritual, moral and emotional intelligence, as well as high personal moral values ​​and perfect integrity. Leaders who can change dysfunctional environments are those who have the ability to create user-friendly and responsive workplaces in which people are fully engaged and can unleash their full potential.

That is, leaders who have the ability to engage the fundamentals of the human being, have patience, perseverance and tenacity to get out of difficult situations without losing hope. Leaders who take care not to do their "acts of righteousness" before men, nor to seek glory, honor or human applause, but leaders who live in their hearts. Authentic leaders who lead with the heart and can root the culture of functioning in a community of human beings.

Although the media and the popular public do not recognize the efforts of the leaders described above, such leaders are in Namibia. The question is to find appropriate tools to identify and nurture these personalities in positions of significant influence.

It is probably there that the usual recruitment practices are unsatisfactory, as conventional job interviews are not likely to detect authentic leaders, but rather those who have the "loud voice" in interviews .

* Matthias Ngwangwama is a philosopher and business practitioner with over 20 years of experience in the world of business and affairs in Namibia. He holds a national degree in accounting, a degree in accounting and finance BTech, an MBA and a Ph.D. specializing in organizational development and design, specifically in management and business leadership, organizational strategy and culture. For constructive answers, write to [email protected].

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