Editors' page

Citation

Norris, M. (2000), "Editors' page", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 28 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/sl.2000.26128faa.001

Editors' page

Have you ever wondered where a certain culture comes from – how it evolves? Why is New York so different from Dallas? Why is living in the USA different than living in Japan? Why is working for GE different from working for IBM? Part of the answer, I'm sure, is history. Within the boundaries of any entity, a history of "how we do things here" and a respect for (or fear of) leaders go a long way to explaining cultures. But, as we all know, we cannot let our history define us, especially in these days of rapid and incessant change.

When I planned this issue of Strategy & Leadership, I expected that thought leaders in the field of organizational culture would treat culture as its own thing – a force unto itself – and, to some extent, they have. But the big surprise was the emphasis they put on the behavior of people – leaders and managers, in particular – in shaping a given culture. Thus, we cannot blame "culture" alone for our inability to change with the times. As Walt Kelly's philosophical 'possum, Pogo, said: "We have met the enemy, and it is us."

In the following pages, we offer a number of articles that tackle head-on this issue of what culture is, how it shapes behavior, and who can bring about the changes that are necessary for not just survival, but consistent success in a business environment that changes daily:

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  Mark Youngblood opens the subject with a comparison of classical management and quantum management, which draws on the metaphors of living systems rather than inert machines. In this issue's IdeaFile, Mark offers an assessment tool you can use to measure your organization's status in relation to these two management types.

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  Robert Cooper shares the latest research in neuroscience that indicates that putting all our faith in head-based decisions can lead to some very unproductive consequences. Successful leaders of the future will use all three of their innate "brains" – the gut, the heart, and lastly the head.

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  John Ingalls compares the behaviors of genuine and counterfeit leaders and, by extension, how these supportive and dysfunctional behaviors affect an organization's culture. Within this innovative construct, genuine leaders are shown as those who are able to find the optimum balance between personal wants and needs as they guide their organizations' activities.

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  Philip Stine tells a very personal story of his many years as manager of a broadly dispersed, multinational organization. His concept of "umbrella management" can be instructive for leaders and managers at every level of an organization.

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  Joe Michlitsch draws on case studies of successful companies to show the value of creating a culture in which all employees, not just those in leadership or management positions, are valued as essential partners in strategy implementation.

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  And don't miss Vaiva Vaisnys's short article about managing culture. She includes the official organization chart of her former company, Jellyvision, which is a visual example of a self-organizing company in action.

The only conclusion we can draw from these new insights is that culture is what we make it. Leaders and managers have the positional power to make constructive changes in their own behavior and in the governing policies of their organizations. And workers at every level have the power to work for change within their organizations or to seek out and sign on with a new company that embodies a more satisfying and functional culture. What steps will you take?

Marilyn NorrisEditor