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The road to a lasting relationship certainly isn't easy. Most of us have had our hearts broken before. We've been through
the handhart

tears, the regret and the pain that feels like it will last forever.

With so much potential for hurt, why do we keep at it? The answer, of course, is that we all know heartache, however deep and severe, is usually a temporary condition. Time heals all wounds and most of us live to love another day. Breakups and broken hearts are facts of life, and as people we get through them all the time. But it might surprise you to know that companies don't always do so well.

At first glance, this might seem a bit silly. After all, romantic feelings live and burn in individuals, not businesses. But while the hearts I'm talking about might not give roses or pine for a long-lost sweetheart, they're every bit as real, and every bit as important. I'm talking about your company's culture - the beat of your organization. And when that heart breaks, you're on the road to disaster.

This really hit home for me during a flight last week. My seat mate was an Electrical Engineer, not really a group known for their emotional sensitivity. So when he described his work environment as "depressing," I knew his firm must be experiencing some significant problems.

As the Vice President of his division, he went on to explain that most of his team "walked around like zombies in a daze." There was, he continued, "no passion and no excitement." For more than fifteen minutes, he described how all the fire and energy had gone out in the last few months, until he finally concluded, "We have no culture."

Had I just heard him correctly? Was an Electrical Engineer complaining about the culture of his company? It might have been from an unlikely source, but I had to admit that he was spot-on. Like the inconsiderate partner who loses the love of his or her life for not paying attention to them. Lots of companies are creating their own heartaches by ignoring their internal beats and rhythms.

Part of the problem lies in defining what culture actually is. It can be understood as simply as, "the way we do things around here." Or, you could go with something a bit more formal like "A corporate culture is the combination of the values and characteristics that define an organization. It influences the way employees relate to each other, to customers, to shareholders, and to business partners. It drives behaviors and unites employees around a shared set of values." (Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 2005).

Defining culture isn't the key, though - understanding it is. Recognize that it's always shifting and changing. Every time someone leaves your company or a new person is hired, you lose one set of ideas and attitudes and receive an infusion of another. If your culture is strong, it might not change all that much - the heart goes on
beating normally. But a large change, whether it be a top level manager or several moves at a lower level, can be such a jolt that it speeds up, slows down, or stops altogether.

Indeed, my neighbor confided that his company had taken on a new CEO. Changing leadership, at that level, is like performing open heart surgery on a company. Instead of approaching it with the caution and care warranted by the risks, wholesale changes came quickly and haphazardly. In other words, they were operating with a chain saw, not a scalpel. The results - a bleeding of revenue and an infection of poor morale - were being felt by every employee and customer.

If an operation can be this dangerous, imagine what a transplant can do. Corporate mergers, with all their Wall Street fanfare, are often performed with little regard for the possibility of complications. A well known case study was the merger between Novell and WordPerfectTM. Novell's culture was stiff and bureaucratic. Their WordPerfectTM, counterparts, however, were laid back, casual and entrepreneurial. At the end of the day, it was investors who were left broken hearted when their "divorce" cost Novell's shareholders a loss of $1.2 billion.

Outside of books and movies, I have yet to see a flawless business or a perfect marriage. Even the greatest of companies and the healthiest of relationships have their ups and downs. So how can you tell the normal, everyday disagreements from the signs of something more significant? How can you tell if your company is in trouble?

According to Steven W. Pool of Ashland University, there are three types of cultural attributes:

Let's examine each of these, and see if your current culture has any of them.

Companies aren't made of buildings, products or balance sheets.
They're made of people. Are your employees and your company
culture happily married? If you're not sure, there are several ways to
assess their level of bliss.

Observe and Listen: Look around and observe your employees in everyday situations. Are there commonalities and visible signs? How is their body language? Are there reoccurring complaints and/or kudos for the company culture? Consistently checking the pulse and temperature of your staff will go a long way towards helping you spot any warning signs.

Let Employees Do the Talking: Have employees anonymously evaluate their supervisors. Allowing them to express themselves freely and honestly is sure to uncover information that may cause your heart to skip a beat or two. But a flutter today is better than a 'code blue' tomorrow, so you might even want to take this a step further and implement periodic internal focus groups or roundtable discussions.

Surveys: These can be conducted internally or externally, but polls conducted by an outside company will help eliminate any fear of bias. Don't just stop with your employees. Customers, vendors, share holders, and board members can all offer valuable insights – not to mention a fresh perspective.

Consultants: An outside consultant, while expensive, can also eliminate the presence of bias and can bring the added benefits of experience and expertise. Just be sure that the consultant is able to conduct surveys or can arrange for another reputable provider. As helpful as a knowledgeable third party can be, it's critical that you give your employees a chance to weigh in.

A good marriage requires commitment from each spouse to make things work. Successful companies require the same from its leadership and employees. Without efforts on both sides of the table, a company will suffer from low productivity, poor time and resource management, high tension, and unsatisfactory customer service.

Changing a company's culture is often a slow and agonizing process, but you can be sure it's well worth the efforts. A company with a strong foundation of values that are shared with its employees, customers, and shareholders will always have the competitive advantage. Just as solid marriages flourish into happy families, well-rooted cultures grow into higher stock prices, improved net incomes and stronger employee commitment. Now that's getting to the heart of the matter.

By now, you're probably figuring out that change isn't always as easy as it looks. But that shouldn't take away the fact that, despite the challenges, the right kinds of changes are always worth it. The secret, of course, is getting the right kind of help.

With more than twenty years real-world experience in change and productivity, PSI can work with you to begin the New Year on the right foot. We've helped some of America's top companies hire, train and develop their employees with an eye for getting more out of their human resources and the bottom line. Our success has been built on the four pillars of any continuous improvement plan:

PSI offers a variety of assessments, tools and processes to help individuals and organizations reach optimal success. With our experience in government, hospitality, manufacturing, medical, and education – not to mention dozens of other industries – you can be sure we can help you take your team to the next level.
•• Call us at 404.320.7834 or 1.800.906.7834 today for a no obligation consultation. If you're looking for an affordable yet effective way to reduce costs, improve productivity and increase profits, then we want to hear from you.