Latest news with #organizationalculture
Harvard Business Review
7 days ago
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
How Leaders Undermine Their Own Authority
Does your organization lack quality leadership? In this episode of HBR's advice podcast, Dear HBR:, cohosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer your questions with the help of Peter Bregman, the CEO of Bregman Partners and author of the book Leading with Emotional Courage. They talk through what to do when your leaders are indecisive, unprofessional, or value the wrong things. Key episode topics include: leadership, decision making and problem solving, organizational culture, emotional intelligence
Forbes
21-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Who's In Your Shadow?
John Knotts | President and Owner of Crosscutter Enterprises — Your Success Incubator. "Follow the leader" may have been a game as a kid, but it is essentially true in life and business. Kids follow the actions of their parents. Employees follow the actions of their supervisor. Supervisors follow the actions of their managers. Managers follow the actions of their directors. Directors follow the actions of their ... You get the idea. It's called emulation; we tend to emulate the actions of those above us. The Shadow Of The Leader This is why accountability is the key to business success. The concept is often called the Shadow of the Leader. That's more than a catchy metaphor; it is a reality embedded in organizational culture. How a leader speaks, behaves, handles stress, responds to mistakes, treats others, etc., casts a long shadow. That shadow reaches into every corner of the organization. It sets the tone. It creates the norms. It gives permission for others to act the same way—or warns them not to. Some leaders assume their position is a platform for authority. Others recognize it as a spotlight on their integrity. What you say matters, but what you do matters even more. People are always watching, even when you think they are not. When a leader cuts corners (or allows it to happen), others begin to justify the same. When a leader listens actively and treats people with dignity, others tend to do the same. It is not policy that shapes the heart of culture; it is example. Consider this: If you walk through your organization and hear phrases that echo your own tone or values, you are seeing your shadow at work. But your shadow is also present if you see passive-aggressive behavior, disengagement or ethical shortcuts. The workplace is a mirror—sometimes flattering and sometimes not—of who you are and what you truly value, not just what you claim to value. The danger lies in your blind spots. Leaders often underestimate how deeply their actions ripple across a company. They believe small moments go unnoticed. They assume no one heard the offhand comment in the meeting. They think their lack of follow-through on a minor initiative will not have consequences. But people are always paying attention. They are learning, every day, what is acceptable and what is not. The Key To Culture Culture is not built by the mission statement and values on the wall. It is built by what leaders tolerate, reward, model and correct. If accountability is preached but not practiced, people will notice. If innovation is celebrated but failure is punished, people will withdraw. If values are posted but not lived, trust will erode. Leaders cannot afford to outsource accountability. It starts at the top. Accountability means being answerable for the culture you create and the behavior you demonstrate. It is not enough to demand standards from others without embodying them yourself. Integrity is not what you expect. It is what you reflect. This is especially critical during change. In times of uncertainty or transformation, people look even more closely at their leaders. They search for cues. They look for how to react, how to feel and how to act. Leaders who stay calm and focused will encourage stability. Leaders who panic or retreat will invite chaos and doubt. Your shadow grows longer during moments of pressure. That is when the example you set is most important. But here is the challenge: You cannot control your shadow by manipulating perception. You control it by living your values consistently. Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, famously called transparency "the currency of leadership." If your shadow does not match your words, people will not follow you with trust. They may comply, but they will not commit. And that is a dangerous place for any leader to be. What Kind Of Shadow Do You Cast? So, the question is not whether you are casting a shadow. The question is: What kind of shadow are you casting? Who is standing in it? What are they learning? Are they growing in character and competence, or are they learning to play the same political games you thought you had hidden? Are they inspired, or are they merely surviving? Leadership is not a title. It is a responsibility; a daily, lived responsibility to influence others in ways that make them better. The true measure of your leadership is not in the decisions you make, but in the decisions others make when you are not around. Your legacy is not your résumé. It is the people you impact, and how they behave long after your voice is gone from the room. Every day, you are writing the unspoken handbook for your team. You are defining the boundaries of excellence, respect, accountability and effort. You are showing what gets rewarded, what gets ignored and what gets silently penalized. Others will either walk taller in your shadow or shrink. So, pause. Reflect. Ask yourself, honestly: Who is in your shadow? What are they learning from you? What behavior are you permitting by your silence or your example? Are you proud of the culture growing behind you? Because, in the end, leadership is not what you say. It is who you are when no one is looking and everyone is watching. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Meet Canada's Best Employers For Company Culture 2025
Participants in the Grand Défi (grand challenge) ULaval pose with the sports equipment available to employees who join the health challenge at Université Laval. Université Laval, Yan Doulet Though universities are often stereotyped as ivory towers detached from practical realities, the Université Laval in Quebec City breaks that mold wide open. The administration, faculty and staff have made it their mission to create a welcoming campus environment that represents its surrounding community and fosters accessible lifelong learning, employee wellbeing, innovative research and professional development. In short, ULaval recognizes the importance of a positive organizational culture. 'To develop this culture, you need everyday engagement and commitment to the values you're representing and promoting,' says Sophie D'Amours, the rector of the university. One way ULaval does this is by including a wide range of stakeholders in strategic planning task forces so that perspectives from across the community have a voice in how the university operates. 'Our students, staff, professors, and partners in the community really embraced this idea of coming along for this exercise and being a part of informing us and participating in brainstorming,' says D'Amours. As a result of this active participation, employees and other individuals with a vested interest in the university have consistently had a hand in creating the organization's culture, and in helping Université Laval earn the No. 1 spot on Forbes' inaugural list of Canada's Best Employers For Company Culture. To create this new ranking, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista and surveyed more than 40,000 Canadian-based workers employed at companies with at least 500 people in the country. Survey respondents (who remained anonymous so they could answer freely) were asked if they would recommend their employer to others and to rate it based on a range of company culture-related topics involving fairness, inclusivity and opportunity. For instance, participants were asked whether their employer recognizes good performance, encourages a healthy work-life balance, values input and ideas from employees across the organization, prioritizes collaboration among coworkers and provides avenues to advance. Respondents were also asked if they would recommend their previous employers (within the past two years) and those they knew through industry experience or through friends or family who worked there. Data from the past three years of Forbes -Statista employee surveys were incorporated into a scoring system, with heavier weights placed on the more recent data and on recommendations from current employees. Each company ultimately received a score, and the 200 organizations with the highest scores made our new list. In addition to Université Laval, two other universities ranked in the top five of this list: Humber Polytechnic (No. 4) and Université de Sherbrook (No. 5). Martin Bisaillon, vice president of human resources and community development at Université de Sherbrooke, says that it's not an accident that the university, located in the province of Quebec, is known for its compassionate culture. Leadership has focused on building a 'healthy, inclusive, and fulfilling work environment based on the real needs expressed by its community,' he says. The university consistently runs internal campaigns focused on listening, respect, and open-mindedness, he says, and the organization 'greatly values work-life balance and overall well-being.' ULaval also emphasizes employee wellbeing and has taken a novel approach to promoting it: The 'Grand défi' (grand challenge) ULaval is a program that offers employees support in managing various aspects of their health, including 'the way they handle stress, how they sleep, and their nutrition,' says D'Amours. Conceived by a university task force as a pilot program almost two years ago, participants in the Grand défi ULaval receive one-on-one health assessments with a healthcare professional that determine the areas in which they might benefit from new habits, and then they are given the resources to change those habits over twelve weeks. Whether it involves free access to the university's training rooms and sports equipment, consultations with a faculty nutritionist, time away from work to meditate, or testing with new cardiopulmonary technologies, everyone is provided with the support they need to improve their health. Participants also split into teams and motivate each other with friendly competition. The first cohort of the grand challenge reported positive results related to their physical health, mental health and productivity, so the program is now being implemented throughout the university. 'People came to us, some crying, saying this was an incredible gift,' says D'Amours. 'People may think you need to give employees more money to be happy, but it's not always true. You need to give a fair and good salary, but there are a lot of other things that an employer could do.' Indeed, this program revealed that providing employees with a healthy environment and supportive culture can be critical to employee satisfaction and engagement. Heather Haslam, vice president of marketing at ADP Canada (No. 9), says that her company's positive culture stems from the fact that leaders are encouraged to get to know their team members, and they're given the time to do so. 'Leaders get to know what their people's drivers are, how they want to be recognized, what their career aspirations are, what they want to develop, and what work life balance they want,' says Haslam. For instance, 'we all want to be recognized in different ways,' she says. 'We have people on our team who don't want their birthday recognized whereas I'm celebrating for the whole month of my birthday,' and leaders at ADP Canada are mindful of these individual preferences. Similarly, some employees may be working toward an opportunity to transition into a new role while Haslam says that currently, she values the flexibility she has to 'jump out in the middle of the day to cheer my son on at the soccer pitch.' Each of these individual priorities are taken into account at ADP. How do ADP leaders learn what their team members need? They have a range of ways to connect with each other including regular group roundtables, weekly one-on-one meetings, anonymous polls and transparent conversations. One online platform, for example, allows each person's manager to see how their direct reports felt about the previous week. 'My leaders get to see what I loved about this week and what I loathed,' says Haslam. This knowledge is then used to give employees more opportunities to do the tasks that they love and do well. Haslam also sits down with her team as a group each week to dissect what's working and what can be done to improve their processes. 'It's our team. Not my plan,' Haslam says. 'Culture isn't just top down. We all impact this. We all have a role, and it's amazing what folks can come up with.' Another way that ADP Canada ensures that employees feel supported and valued: There is no stigma around taking vacations. 'There is very much an understanding that we must take our necessary breaks so that when we're back, we're better,' explains Haslam. And best of all, there's no 'time off tax'—which she describes as having to do extra work before and after a vacation—because colleagues have each other's backs, and step in to keep projects moving when a team member is out. This allows employees to truly disconnect while they're away from work. Celeste Burgoyne, president of the Americas and global guest innovation at Lululemon Athletica (No. 11)—officially written as 'lululemon athletica'—credits the company's collaborative culture with helping the team get through the pandemic. 'It was a time of uncertainty, and our teams showed up with unwavering courage and care,' she says. 'We kept all employees on payroll, launched digital tools to support mental wellbeing, and stayed rooted in one guiding belief: if life works, work works.' For the 200 organizations on this inaugural list, each company's culture has enhanced both the life and work of its employees. For the full list of Canada's Best Employers for Company Culture, click here . METHODOLOGY To determine our inaugural list of Canada's Best Employers for Company Culture, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista and surveyed more than 40,000 Canadian-based workers employed at companies with at least 500 people in the country. Survey respondents (who remained anonymous so they could answer freely) were asked if they would recommend their employer to others and to rate it based on a range of company culture-related topics involving fairness, inclusivity and opportunity. For instance, participants were asked whether their employer recognizes good performance, encourages a healthy work-life balance, values input and ideas from employees across the organization, prioritizes collaboration among coworkers and provides avenues to advance. Respondents were also asked if they would recommend their previous employers (within the past two years) and those they knew through industry experience or through friends or family who worked there. Data from the past three years of Forbes -Statista employee surveys were incorporated into a scoring system, with heavier weights placed on the more recent data and on recommendations from current employees. Each company ultimately received a score, and the 200 organizations with the highest scores made our new list. As with all Forbes lists, companies pay no fee to participate or be selected. To read more about how we make these lists, click here. For questions about this list, please email listdesk [at]
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Role Of AI In Improving Employee Engagement In The Workplace
The Role of AI in Improving Employee Engagement in the Workplace getty According to Gallup, employee engagement in the U.S. dropped significantly in 2024, to the lowest point it's seen in nearly a decade, with only 31% of employees engaged , figures we haven't seen since 2014. Furthermore, actively disengaged employees rose to 17%, reflecting a return to 2014 levels. Gallup reports that each one-point drop in engagement equates to roughly 1.6 million workers, amounting to the loss of engagement across 8 million employees since 2020, including 3.2 million since 2023 alone. This decline has real consequences including lower productivity, high turnover, and weakened organizational culture. As the workplace evolves faster than traditional HR strategies can keep up, the need for more responsive, real-time solutions has become urgent. This is where artificial intelligence enters the conversation, not as a silver bullet, but as a powerful set of tools reshaping how companies understand, support, and engage their people. The future of work as we know it is changing faster than many companies can adapt, and traditional management systems are struggling to keep up. For years, organizations relied on outdated tools built for a different era. Tools designed for hiring, feedback, and development in more static, in-person environments. Those models weren't made for today's hybrid, fast-paced workplace, and the disconnect is becoming harder to ignore. Employees now expect timely support, personalized feedback, and meaningful engagement. Without the right tools, many companies are falling short. To bridge this growing gap, companies are turning to Artificial Intelligence, not as a buzzword, but as a practical solution. AI is delivering real results by automating repetitive tasks, freeing employees to focus on higher-value work. A 2024 survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that generative AI saves users an average of 5.4% of their work time, a little over two hours per week. Even when factoring in non-users, overall time savings still average 1.4%. However, AI's value extends beyond efficiency; it's beginning to reshape the employee experience. According to Gallup , AI usage in the U.S. workplace has nearly doubled, rising from 21% in 2023 to 40% in 2025, with daily use doubling in just one year. Despite this momentum, more than half of U.S. companies have yet to meaningfully adopt AI in their engagement strategies. According to Impact of Technology on the Workforce 2024 report , 67% of employees say AI tools are either not used at all (34%) or used only in limited ways (33%) at their workplaces. Just 4% report full integration into their company's operations, a striking contrast when compared to the reported benefits among active users. Without AI, companies are struggling to meet modern expectations. Disconnected systems slow down decision-making, delay responses to burnout, and lead to missed opportunities, including lost talent. When employees disengage, it doesn't just affect deadlines; it impacts trust, collaboration, and the emotional fabric of the workplace. Disengagement silently drives turnover, weakens productivity, and erodes morale. Reimagining Employee Experience Through AI Artificial Intelligence is emerging as a serious catalyst for employee engagement, not just a flashy trend. Companies that strategically embrace AI are seeing measurable gains in productivity, responsiveness to feedback, and employee retention. At the same time, those slow to adopt these tools are falling behind. Boosting Productivity and Focus AI is quickly becoming a core part of the modern workplace. According to Microsoft's 2024 Work Trend Index Annual report , 75% of knowledge workers are now using AI, with nearly half of them adopting it in just the past six months. There have been compelling benefits reported: 90% of users say AI helps them save time 85% say it enables them to focus on their most important work 83% say it makes their jobs more enjoyable. Among Microsoft Teams' most active users, tools like Copilot have saved up to eight hours per month, the equivalent of a full workday, by summarizing meetings, streamlining communications, and eliminating routine tasks. Listening and Responding at Scale AI is also transforming how organizations listen to and act on employee feedback. By collecting, anonymizing, and analyzing data at scale, companies can gain a real-time understanding of how their people are feeling , not just during annual reviews, but continuously. Tools that enable more frequent check-ins and faster responses are helping to close the feedback loop, build trust, and boost morale. Over time, this consistency contributes directly to improved retention and stronger team dynamics. Reducing Turnover with Predictive Insights Beyond real-time engagement, AI is helping HR teams take a more proactive stance against attrition. Predictive analytics tools like IBM's Workforce Analytics, Workday People Analytics, and Visier are being used to spot early signs of disengagement, whether it's changes in productivity, communication patterns, or pulse survey data. These insights allow managers to intervene early, offer support, and prevent valuable employees from slipping away unnoticed. Enhancing Well-Being and Inclusion AI reduces administrative strain , giving employees more time for meaningful, creative work. It lightens cognitive load, supports mental well-being, and improves satisfaction. Tools for recognition and development are especially effective among younger, more diverse teams, making AI a powerful force for inclusion. 6 Proactive Ways to Use AI to Boost Employee Engagement AI can elevate employee engagement — but only when applied intentionally, ethically, and with people at the center. Instead of treating it as a plug-and-play fix, leading companies are weaving AI into strategies that build transparency, trust, and connection. Here are six practical, people-first ways to apply AI for real impact: Personalized Learning and Development: Use AI-powered learning platforms to track performance, skills, and interests, then deliver tailored development paths. AI can automate skill assessments, identify gaps, and recommend timely content. HR teams gain valuable insights to adapt learning strategies in real-time, aligning growth with both employee goals and business needs. AI-Powered News and Updates: Leverage AI-driven tools to send curated, personalized updates based on role, location, and preferences. These platforms surface relevant content while reducing digital fatigue, helping employees stay informed and connected without being overwhelmed. Optimized Scheduling for Work-Life Balance: AI scheduling tools like Motion and Clockwise can factor in availability, time-off requests, and workload to create more balanced and flexible team calendars. By aligning operational needs with personal commitments, these systems enhance morale and support employee retention. Real-Time Recognition and Rewards: AI can analyze performance data to spotlight top contributors, enabling leaders to deliver timely, personalized recognition. This ensures appreciation is consistent and meaningful, a key driver of loyalty, motivation, and retention. Reliable Support with Virtual Assistants: AI-powered virtual assistants handle routine questions, HR navigation, and policy lookups, giving employees 24/7 access to answers while reducing the load on HR teams. The result is a faster, more responsive experience that builds trust and autonomy. Personalized, Streamlined Onboarding: AI-enabled onboarding platforms automate tasks like documentation, training schedules, and compliance. At the same time, they can tailor the onboarding experience to each new hire's role and preferences, helping them feel informed, connected, and supported from day one. The promise of AI in employee engagement is already delivering measurable results. From improving productivity and focus to enabling proactive support and personalized development, AI is reshaping how companies connect with their people. Employees in AI-enabled environments report feeling more valued, more heard, and more motivated to contribute. But the gap between potential and practice remains wide. Most organizations are still in the early stages of adoption, missing opportunities to build stronger, more resilient cultures. Moving forward, AI must transition from a scattered experiment to a strategic pillar of the employee experience. For companies willing to lead with intention, the payoff isn't just efficiency; it's a more engaged, future-ready workforce.
Forbes
07-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Drive Growth, Reputation And Connection By Strengthening Your Culture
Umang Modi leads TIAG's growth and innovation in GovCon, blending strategy, tech and mission-focused solutions to drive real impact. When an organization's culture is intentionally constructed, organizations can consistently outpace their peers in productivity and revenue growth. Once understood primarily as the 'soft' side of the organization, culture is now recognized more than ever as one of the foremost strategic drivers of long-term success. Particularly for high-performing organizations, culture is not the backdrop. It's the very operating system that informs how decisions are made, how people work together and to what degree outcomes are achieved. The engagement you deliberately cultivate in culture drives how successfully an organization scales, is perceived and continues to develop healthy external and internal relationships. Culture does not simply reflect who you are as an organization; it drives you to where you could be. Culture As A Strategic Growth Driver Free snacks and a ping-pong table are not enough to satisfy high performers. They want transparent and consistent communication styles, measurable leadership expectations, sensible accountability frameworks and a decision making style that shows awareness under duress. Why? At a basic human level, most adults thrive on predictability, safety and belonging. I've seen time and again that when these basic human needs are in place, people are more likely to contribute at full capacity, engage in creative experimentation and risk and develop trust-based relationships. What supports the basic human needs of predictability, safety and belonging? Culture. You may think of workplace predictability as synonymous with rigidity, but it is the opposite. Predictability in the workplace has to do with clarity. An engaging, organized culture will cultivate a collective understanding of 'how we do things here' and encourage employees to understand the boundaries of their authority. As a result, timelines shorten, accountability increases and the team delivers ahead of schedule with fewer missteps. In cultures with psychological safety, employees feel safe taking interpersonal risks, such as challenging a group's assumptions or admitting they made a mistake early. For example, imagine a junior developer who saw an error in a software feature demo and spoke up in front of leadership. Instead of receiving backlash, they are thanked, and the flaw is corrected before it is rolled out. That single instance saves an organization several thousand dollars, increases trust and reinforces that every voice matters. Often, when employees feel a sense of belonging, they bring more energy, creativity and commitment to their work. Picture a remote employee who feels connected to their team because of inclusion in meetings, recognition programs and a culture-aware approach to meetings. They are more likely to want to stay, mentor others and contribute beyond their job description because they feel that their presence makes a difference, not just what they can produce. Engine Of Innovation, Resilience And Growth Culture isn't just an environment we work in. It's the system of meaning we move through. When that system is intentional, consistent and aligned, it gives us what we need most: clarity in chaos, confidence in our place and connection to a shared mission. Strong cultures do not just make people feel good; they also make businesses better. Culture provides a grip in an uncertain world, whether racing through growth or crisis mode. When things get tough and the overall situation changes, culture serves as a useful North Star for decision making, helping to ensure an organization stays consistent and authentic under pressure. Your Reputation Is Your Culture Turned Outward Your reputation is how the world experiences your values. Employees become the most credible ambassadors of your brand through the authenticity of their daily experiences. When an organization's internal culture aligns with its external reputation, it builds stakeholder trust. The opposite is true, too. Reputations suffer when values become buzzwords. Because in today's world, employee reviews, social media and customer feedback are public-facing. We all want to feel like we're part of something meaningful. When culture reinforces shared purpose, it satisfies us intrinsically. Most of us desire the autonomy to master our craft and the trust to make decisions that only we can make. When everyone operates from the same value system and there are multiple ways for employees to connect, whether through annual events, team meetings, weekly anchor points or chat groups, geographic and departmental boundaries fade and genuine relationships emerge. Creating A Solid, Values-Driven Culture Isn't An Accident At TIAG, we understand that culture is only cultivated when deliberately communicated, consistently, and in a manner that makes it relatable and actionable. It took an intentional communication strategy woven into everyday rhythms. For us, internal communications are the engine behind the wheel that mobilizes intention to impact. Without a strong and strategic internal communication strategy, HR initiatives could lose impact, recruiting processes could stall and cultural values could become posters on a wall. Our internal communications strategy is used as a touchstone to translate vision into action, reaffirming values across several formats: weekly newsletters, chat spaces, monthly print publications, real-time updates, leadership messaging, video content and social platforms. This also helps us shape external culture-driven content to give candidates a glimpse of who we are. Our employees are brand ambassadors not because we tell them they are, but because they have alignment; they understand the mission and see themselves in it. Strong internal communications allow employees to build trust, reduce ambiguity and sustain engagement. They also create a loop between management and employees, and HR with operations, performance and recruitment. Culture isn't performative. It is in practice, and that practice cannot happen without communication. Culture Is Not Intangible Or Soft Culture is the structure behind high-performing teams, enduring brands and resilient organizations. When businesses prioritize culture as a key investment, on par with product development or revenue strategy, they unlock compounding returns across growth, trust and team cohesion. Winning teams don't happen by chance. They're built on clarity, connection and culture. Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify?
