HRD talks to the head of people and culture at MedicalDirector about building a successful organisational culture
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There are a few key ingredients necessary for a culture of learning and continuous improvement, according to Anna Wenngren, head of people and culture at MedicalDirector.
Primarily, it’s about “constant adaptation and a willingness to learn as we go”, Wenngren told HRD.
“We are living in an era where the pace of change is unprecedented and the workforce has to rapidly pivot and reset in the face of obstacles.”
This comes down to a change in mindset and moving beyond the concept of failure to instead view setbacks as useful feedback, added Wenngren.
“Once people see difficulties as being valuable opportunities to learn, they open themselves up to ongoing development and what will naturally arise is a culture of continuous improvement.”
According to Wenngren, building a high-performing team starts with the employee/manager relationship.
“Work relationships are really no different to personal relationships in the sense that they are all about trust and respect,” she said.
“HR really needs to move away from this notion of hierarchy and realise that strong relationships are actually partnerships.”
This is because they require both parties to consider the impact they are having on the other and when they become conscious of this they experience greater levels of trust.
Wenngren added that when someone feels emotionally safe they become more willing to be vulnerable which is going to aid growth and development.
“More importantly, when trust is present in a relationship honest feedback is more likely to be given and received,” she said.
“This makes both parties richer, so it’s better for both the employee and the manager.”
Another challenge for employers is how to go about helping talented individuals work in an optimal way as a collective.
Wenngren said that when you bring a group of talented professionals together you will get a rich tapestry of differing perspectives.
“When people hold too tightly to their perspectives or see them as being superior to another’s, conflict can occur,” said Wenngren.
“Conflict is a natural occurring part of any relationship and the challenge is not to avoid it, but rather to be able to navigate a way through it.
“When couples fight they make up. They concede and recognise that what they were arguing over is not worth the cost of the relationship.”
Wenngren added employers have to foster a culture that values relationships as much as it values achievement.
So how can HR make sure they have the right culture approach?
“I don’t know if there is one right culture approach because culture is not static, it’s ever-changing and it’s alive,” she said.
“The best thing that HR can do is speak to the people because they are really the culture experts.”
According to Wenngren, it’s important to let employees speak about what they are happy with and if they are not happy with the cultural approach then they will also have opinions on how to make it better.
“So given that we all want to foster continuous improvement we are all equally custodians and change agents.”
Wenngren added that she would love to see the HR profession increase its focus on “effective relating”.
“We spend far too long as a profession assessing, measuring and monitoring people which has created an imbalance, with organisations overvaluing achievements instead of really healthy relationships,” she said.
“This is why people fear feedback, they build silos and they display defensiveness when challenged.
“So how we do what we do must be as important as what it is that we deliver because when we have trust and value each other, innovation thrives.”
