Recently I read the article, “Culture, From the Top: The Emergence of the Culture Chief” by Jennifer King, HR Analyst, Software Advice. She is adding her contribution to the dialogue in the culture space as we continue to observe an increasingly rising tide of emphasis on the most important aspect of business performance: people.
An issue that King raises is whether a company needs a culture chief as a distinct job role. A very important lesson I learned during my career is the Chief Executive Officer is the Chief Culture Officer. It is not a role that can be delegated to sales, marketing, even human resources, and for heaven’s sake, never to finance or accounting. It is the job of the CEO. If the CEO is a bosshole, the culture will be a hell hole.
Even if the human resource function has a great company culture built on trust and respect, and the CEO is a bosshole, the company will still be a hell hole.
Organizational culture consultant and author of The Fourth Factor, Dr. Linda Ford, states, “Corporate culture is the invisible, powerful force that gently, or not so gently, nudges you into compliance with how we do things around here.” The CEO defines this dynamic by her actions and not be her words.
You should take a peek at King’s article and the SHRM research she sites. What do you think? Who is responsible for company culture in the 21st Century organization?
To read the full blog post by Software Advice HR Analyst Jennifer King, check out her HR blog.
