Feedback in corporate culture
« Culture eats strategy for breakfast. »
Peter Drucker
Why Is Corporate Culture Important?
A deep understanding of an organization’s culture is essential to nourish a leader’s strategic thinking. It allows leaders to determine which goals to pursue in leadership training and internal communications.
Corporate culture is a strategic tool that allows a leader to:
Ensure alignment, by uniting teams around shared values that transcend differing interests and opinions among stakeholders (executives, managers, employees). Corporate culture becomes an indispensable tool for limiting risks of conflict and confrontation (Political Decision-Maker Theory, Cyert and March).
Improve adaptability, as more cohesive teams respond more effectively to inevitable environmental changes.
Boost motivation and empowerment, since employees better understand how leadership intends to reach the organization’s goals.
However, corporate culture also has its limitations:
The expected effects are not always achieved, as some employees may not adhere to the promoted values, thereby limiting motivation.
An overly strong corporate culture may be perceived as manipulative, potentially backfiring.
It may foster rigidity in the face of change, for example, during mergers or acquisitions.
Corporate culture is a hot topic. When Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, discusses the “culture of reinvention” in No Rules Rules, and leading through context, we gain insight into the pivotal role leaders play in shaping company culture. What could be more radical than a culture that values people over processes and innovation over efficiency?
Achieving top performance by increasing talent density while providing employees with more context and fewer constraints requires challenging long-standing leadership assumptions. It also demands real adaptation to multicultural environments—not everyone accepts blunt feedback in the way some Americans or Dutch do.
Whether strong or weak, corporate culture is always present, and many companies communicate values that are far removed from daily reality—and from the behavior of their leaders.
One of the key challenges for leaders seeking transformation today is navigating the disruption brought by the need for agility and creativity. This is difficult when business growth often requires systems of control and rules to prevent chaos. Let’s not forget that today’s leaders often come from the very systems now in need of transformation—especially post-COVID.
Netflix found its own solution by increasing talent density, encouraging candid feedback, and removing some controls (e.g., vacation, expenses, business travel).
A team of highly talented, creative, and engaged individuals naturally sustains a culture of high standards. They act with commitment and autonomy, freeing leaders to focus on strategic topics and context-setting.
Fostering a culture of positive, constructive, and actionable feedback is crucial for accelerating business transformation. Have you thought about regularly including a “feedback moment” in your one-on-one meetings with colleagues or team members?
As a leader, remember: your reaction during feedback is critical. You must respond with gratitude—regardless of the critique—to make your counterpart feel safe (a genuine smile, a hand on the shoulder, a nod...). If you feel the feedback is unfounded, you’re free to accept or reject it, but always thank the person sincerely for their honesty.
What matters is that feedback is offered with a positive intent and focuses on what the recipient can actually change.
At Be&Lead, we value frankness in our exchanges, transparency in communication, and flexibility in organization.
Another way to strengthen corporate culture is to offer a 360° feedback process, enabling everyone to express themselves freely. Its purpose is to:
Acknowledge how others perceive you,
Embrace your strengths and take ownership of your weaknesses,
Increase your ability to receive feedback and turn it into action,
Implement a transformative action plan around areas of improvement,
Develop a strategic vision for personal growth aligned with business strategy.
And you—what actions are you taking to evolve your corporate culture? How do you ensure your executive team embodies and promotes the values you advocate? How many positive and improvement-focused feedbacks do you give each week?
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