Organizational culture is the backbone to project success. Think of organizational culture like its' DNA. It encompasses it's beliefs, norms, symbols, values, and attitudes that permeate all parts of the organization. Culture helps shape an organization's decisions, guides actions, and drives each individual's behavior in how they view their work and purpose. Therefore, project leaders who lack cultural awareness can become stagnant amidst the values of the organization's culture.
In order to contribute to future project successes, project managers should commit to having a strong connection with our organizational culture. This means being more nimble and adaptable when priorities change, which in turn should result in project management effectiveness. The reality is that we will encounter many cultures when leading our projects, which means we must be flexible in our own behavior to get the planned project results. It starts with a true understanding of what the attributes of your company's core culture are, then creating the link between strategy, culture and leadership in order to make projects more successful.
The same can be applied to our own personal beliefs and how that feeds into our successes in life. The better you understand your beliefs, your norms, your values, and your attitudes, the more confident you will feel in making critical life decisions. Our hesitation to push forward and make decisions is often driven by our own insecurities. I encourage all of you to take some time to reflect on culture and what that means to not only your organization, but your personal values and beliefs as well.
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