Read Our Blog On Culture Change

Organisations, like the societies that spawn them, are built on obligations that members owe to one another and the whole entity. In business, we consolidate these into rules, policies and procedures. At a higher level, we may link them to our company’s purpose and values. If we intentionally build a culture, then, over time, these obligations turn into behaviours that are universally understood and embraced by employees.

Authentic Leadership was first popularised by Bill George in his book of the same name. It highlights the importance of leaders being true to themselves and their values. Authenticity sounds like the approach every leader should aspire to. But it’s much rarer than you’d think. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway is often cited as a model of authentic leadership due to his straightforwardness and humility.

Looking at hierarchy from the top down, Leaders are there to set direction and inspire human effort by articulating the reason ‘why.’ Managers focus on determining ‘what’ their unit does and managing required performance norms. So, Supervisors work in day-to-day operations, influencing 'how' management decisions in their units are implemented through the work of subordinates.

From a Marketing perspective, there’s no doubt that AI and all its variants are revolutionising branding. There are many positive aspects around this. First, AI has enabled personalisation. Secondly, inspiring customer insights can be gained through AI. Thirdly, AI can help to create branded content that’s precisely tailored to the target audience. From a customer perspective, this is all good news.

Over time, many business areas have found Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs useful in understanding human motivation. Maslow’s framework is no less valuable when considering what kind of culture you’d like to create in your organisation. Physiological needs are at the foundation of Maslow's hierarchy. The next level focuses on security. But you really begin to define a positive culture when you address the need for belonging.

Uber is a brand built on the belief that transportation should flow like water. People should be able to step in and out of the flow and reach their destination with the minimum inconvenience. Now, inside the car or the company, the experience can be very different. In short, if you are a passenger in this kind of car - or an employee of this kind of boss - the journey may turn out to be uncomfortable and unpredictable.