Lecture on how to create an innovative culture. Presented at the Stellenbosch University

1. CREATING AN INNOVATIVE CULTURE
WOUTER SMIT
Senior researcher
W.SMIT@HVA.NL
LINKEDIN.COM/IN/SMITW
TWITTER: ONDERWIJS_LAB
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2. MAIN TOPICS THIS LECTURE
1. Organisational culture
2. Team development
3. (relation with) innovation
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Feel free to ask questions!

3. SPACE INVADERS
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4. DEER
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6. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE: DEFINITIONS
• “What we think is important”
• “The way we do things around here” (Deal & Kennedy, 1982)
• “The personality of the organization and what it stands for
(Leavy, 2005)
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7. CHARACTERISTICS
• INVISIBLE
• EQUILIBRIUM
• ROBUST CORE, ACTIVE CHANGE IS DIFFICULT
• “THE (IMMUNE)SYSTEM HITS BACK”
• MULTIPLE ‘LAYERS’ AND MULTIPLE ‘TYPES’
• SIGNIFICANT FACTOR FOR FAILURE OF REORGANISATION
• IN ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGY/PURPOSE/ENVIRONMENT
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8. VALUES/ MINDSET AS CENTRE OF MANY
STRATEGY MODELS
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7s model, Peters & Waterman, 1988 Golden circle mode, Sinek, 2009

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How to
observe?

10. SCHOOLS OF CULTURE 1/2
Managementschool (Handy, Schein) Antropologische school (Hofstede)
Relative stable, homogeneous and
constent system of assumptions, values
and norms wich can be objectified and
brought in comparison
The organisation has a culture
Describing what you see when you
observe/ experience a culture in the form
of a story or dialogue
The organisation is a culture
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11. SCHOOLS OF CULTURE 2/2
Sociaal constructionism (Weick/ Homan) Post modernism
(Luhmann, Alvesson)
There is no such thing as an ‘objective’
culture. There exist only individual/ social
constructions of reality
Culture is a collection/ combination of
(social) constructions
Culture is a collection/ combination of
(social) member constructions
There exists a complex system (network)
of interactions between members
There is no organisational culture 11

12. FAMOUS THEORIES IN ORGANISATIONAL
CULTURE
1. Cultural dimensions model - Hofstede (1991)
2. Iceberg model - (Schein (1999)
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13. HOFSTEDE: MODEL OF CULTURAL
DIMENSIONS
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14. SCHEIN: LEVELS OF CULTURE
• CULTURE IN THREE LEVELS
1. ARTEFACTS:
2. VALUES & ATTITUDE
3. BASIC ASSUMPTIONS
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15. CULTURE AND THE ICEBERG PRINCIPLE
De Nederlandse Bank, 2013
behavior
Social dynamics
mindset

16. GROEPSDYNAMIEK: PROCEDURELE
RECHTVAARDIGHEID
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EXAMPLE OF A COLLECTIVE MINDSET

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19. INNOVATIVE CULTURE: WHAT IS
NECESSARY 1/2
• Strong culture makes (cultural) change
difficult
• It’s not about if the culture can be
changed but if culture fosters change
(Dyer & Shafer, 1998).
1. Proactive signaling of chances and
threats
2. Structural flexibility (tasks, functions)
3. Cooperation (workgroups)
4. Continuing learning process
• Critical and focus on improving.
‘Raising the bar’ (Hamel, 2000).
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20. SELEXYS VERSUS AHOLD
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21. INNOVATIVE CULTURE: WHAT IS
NECESSARY 2/2
• Personal values (Light, 1998)
• honesty,
• mutual trust,
• faith (believing change is possible)
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22. ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE AND
INNOVATION. HOW TO IMPLEMENT
• Room for experimentation/ stimulation of experimentation
• Support: time, management support, budget
• Reward for both succes and failure
• Organistic structure instead of bureaucratic
• Create meeting places/ support informal knowledge sharing
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23. GROUP VERSUS TEAMS
• WORK GROUP
• Exchanging information
• Individual concerns/ own area
of responsibility
• TEAM
• Collective performance/
coordinated effort
• Individual and collective
concern
• Complementary roles
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24. SUMMARY AND MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
• EFFECTIVE TEAMS HAVE COMMON
CHARACTERISTICS:
• Adequate resources
• Effective leadership
• A climate of trust
• Appropriate reward and evaluation systems
• Composed of members with correct skills and roles
• Are smaller
• Do work that provides freedom, autonomy, and the chance
to contribute
• The tasks are whole and significant
• Have members who believe in the team’s capabilities
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Robbins & Judge, 2009

25. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (NETHERLANDS)
• Virtual projectteams of
freelancers
• Professional autonomy
• Team integrity
• 360 degree feedback
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26. TUCKMAN GROUP STAGES
• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Perfoming
(adjourning)
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27. • W.SMIT@HVA.NL
• LINKEDIN.COM/IN/SMITW
• TWITTER: ONDERWIJS_LAB
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28. VALKUILEN BIJ CULTUURVERANDERING
1/2
• Vergeten stil te staan: De doelcultuur is niet bepaald
• De gewenste waarden worden niet in de praktijk ‘geladen’
(gedrag)
• Management onderschat de eigen rol (transformationeel
leiderschap)
• Management heeft te hoge invloedsrol in de arena
• Te kleine groep bepaalt te grote resultaten (draagvlak)
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29. VALKUILEN BIJ CULTUURVERANDERING
2/2
• Medewerkers beschouwen waarden als ‘windowdressing’ of
beleidsgeklets
• Te sterk onderscheid tussen ‘publiek’ en ‘subpubliek’ discours
• De eindgebruiker wordt uit het oog verloren
• Het (te) projectmatig aanvliegen
• De organisatie raakt betekenisloos (vacuüm)
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