High performance organizations: creating a culture of agreement

Abstract

Purpose

The paper is written for the purpose of providing insight and understanding of organizational culture – how and from what does it develop, and how can you consciously create, impact and sustain it.

Design/methodology/approach

The objective is achieved by sharing the viewpoint of the author backed up by more than 15 years of practical research working in hundreds of organizations in many different contexts in many different industry’s. What is also shared is the specific methodology used in working with these organizations.

Findings

What has been found as a result of working in organizations over time is that most organizations operate from a place of moving to action before they have clarity about where they are headed. The complexity increases when joint vision and joint action are added to the mix. I have found that when people have a “conversational road‐map” they can prevent a great deal of the conflict that often gets in the way of “High performance.” More important, they can design and operationalize what high performance is for the particular organization, and how to sustain it.

Practical implications

This article suggests a new conscious process that fosters and sustains a collaborative culture. The potential for immediate productivity, creativity and more satisfying work experience is present in this report.

Originality/value

What is new in the paper is the thesis of being able to impact organizational culture directly by focusing on the fundamental agreement that is the core of any relationship. The idea of “agreements for results” as a means of creating joint vision and a road‐map to it is also new.

Citation

Levine, S. (2006), "High performance organizations: creating a culture of agreement", Handbook of Business Strategy, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 375-380. https://doi.org/10.1108/10775730610619106