Progressive culture transformation mindsets
Organisational culture is 80 percent of mindsets and 20 percent of cultural artefacts. Therefore, every culture transformation undertaken by any organisation should emphasise mindset change because mindset shapes behaviours, attitudes, and decision- making processes within an organisation.
While changing policies, procedures, and structures can be important components of culture transformation, they often fall short if underlying mindsets remain unchanged.
Mindsets influence how management and employees perceive challenges, opportunities, and their own roles within the organisation.
Moreover, shifting employees’ mindsets create a progressive culture focusing on achieving organisation strategic objectives and sustaining long- term success. This article discusses progressive culture transformation mindsets.
The first mindset is ubuntu mindset. It is an African philosophy accenting interconnectedness, community, and humanity. Our organisational culture should embrace our Africanism mindset where we cherish and uphold the spirit of humanity “I am because we are”.
Our individual identity and well- being are complicatedly tied to the well- being of others and the community as a whole. In an organisation culture it is revealed in the way we treat each other, the level of empathy, compassion, collaboration, and a sense of shared responsibility for the welfare of others. In essence, it promotes the idea that we thrive when we support and uplift one another, recognising that our individual success is intertwined with the success of the people we lead and live with. Organisation with this mindset tends to have a high level of teamwork and collaboration, quality of work life, ethical leaders, innovation and creativity and a positive working environment. The second mindset is entrepreneurial mindset which refers to the set of attitudes, qualities, and behaviours exhibited by individuals within an organisation who possess an entrepreneurial spirit while working within the confines of the corporate structure.
To survive in these chaotic times, it is important to change the mindset of employees from transactional mindset of selling their effort, skills and knowledge in exchange for a salary to a transformational mindset that seeks ways of increasing the business sustainability by being innovative, taking risks and driving change within the organisation.
The third mindset is curiosity mindset, and it is characterised by a relentless desire to explore, learn, and understand the world around us. Employees with a curiosity mindset possess an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, constantly seeking new experiences, asking questions, and challenging assumptions.
This mindset is the foundation of major scientific and technological breakthroughs, driven by an unwavering quest for truth and exploration of the unknown. This mindset fosters creativity, innovation, and resilience, as it encourages individuals to think critically, connect dots, and generate novel solutions to complex problems.
The fourth progressive cultural mindset is exponential mindset. Our world is changing faster than ever before, we need a paradigm shift in the way we have been thinking and we should start having an agile mindset because our brains evolved from a linear world where change occurred at a slow pace.
According to Moore’s Law, technology double every 18 to 24 months, therefore, organisations need employees with an exponential mindset rather than linear thinking. This will make them understand the power of continuous innovation in the current aggressive competitive world.
The fifth progressive cultural mindset is gratitude mindset. It is concerning that as people, we spend most of our time worrying about what we do not have and forgetting what we have.
This makes us focus our energy on negativity and limit our potential to do more with less.
A gratitude mindset involves actively recognising and appreciating the positive aspects of one’s life, circumstances, and one’s social interactions.
In the context of culture transformation, fostering a culture of gratitude in employees will make them acknowledge the efforts and contributions of their employer towards their wellbeing and that can improve their overall satisfaction. This will promote a culture of appreciation, care, communication, collaboration, and ultimately, organisational success.
The fifth progressive cultural mindset is a learning mindset. During culture transformation, the learning mindset becomes essential as organisations navigate shifts in values, norms, and practices. It is a process that requires all employees to go through the process of unlearning and relearning.
This mindset makes employees to be more receptive to change, embracing new cultural paradigms with openness and enthusiasm.
They actively seek opportunities to learn from diverse perspectives and experiences, facilitating smoother transitions and fostering a culture of innovation and adaptation. Furthermore, a learning mindset encourages experimentation and risk- taking, enabling employees to challenge traditional ways of doing things and drive positive change within their organisations.
By prioritising continuous learning and growth, individuals with a learning mindset not only contribute to successful culture transformations but also thrive in dynamic and evolving cultural landscapes. The Author is a member of Organisational Excellence Specialists in Canada, holds Master of Science in Strategic Management, is a Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence from America Society for Quality. Contact: 72211182, Website: www. iqm. co. bw and Email: veronmosalakatane@ gmail. com LinkedIn: Veron Mosalakatane.