The Five Dimensions of a Legacy Culture

To begin with, Legacy Cultures are never stagnant nor are they set in stone. They are dynamic and continuously growing and developing. One of the hallmarks of every Legacy Culture is it’s penchant for learning and ongoing development. But that does not mean that they cannot be defined. Transforming an organization’s culture into a Legacy Culture is a systematic process that can be planned out in advance. To do this requires understanding the five dimensions of a Legacy Culture.

The First Dimension is having An Integrated Vision and Set of Core Values. In my engagement with numerous organizations from many different industries and disciplines, I have been continuously amazed by how few have actually taken the time to clarify and codify their Vision and Core Values. A Vision that is brought to life from a solid set of Core Values becomes the Paper upon which the Organization’s “Blueprint for Success” is created. No paper! No Blueprint! Achieving lasting success without a Vision driven by Core Values is akin to hitting a home run while blind folded. That’s a matter of pure luck!

The Second Dimension is having Operational Systems that are Aligned with the Vision and Core Values. Every organization is a conglomerate of operational systems that hopefully work in concert with one another. Once again, leaving this to chance is playing a dangerous game with your organization’s culture. If we think of the overall function of the organization as if it was a jigsaw puzzle, each piece of the puzzle would be a separate function within the organization. If these functions operate independently from one another, the picture created when (and if) the puzzle is assembled may not look like anything recognizable. When every operational system and function is developed based on the Vision and Core Values, we have put the drawing onto the Blueprint Paper.

The Third Dimension is having Leadership that Holds the Vision and Core Values in the highest regard and in doing so, Promotes: a. Collaboration and Innovation, b. Community and Diversity, c. Responsibility and Accountability, and d. Inspiration and Positive Influence. Leaders throughout the organization possess the blueprint for organizational success. They apply this blueprint every day in everything they do. Furthermore, they encourage everyone they lead to do so as well and to become leaders themselves.

The Fourth Dimension is having the Training System in place that Recognizes how important Dimensions 1 through 3 above are, and integrates them into every aspect of the organization along with the specific knowledge, skills, and capabilities needed for individual success which can then lead to organizational success. I am also sad to see that way too many organizations do not adequately train their people. There may be some job specific training, but this often dismal to worthless. But training with respect to Dimensions 1, 2, and 3? That is rare. When we see it, we know we’ve found an extraordinary organization. This Dimension is about making sure that every member of the organization can read the Blueprint and apply the Blueprint to their own piece of the organizational puzzle.

The Fifth Dimension is having Customer Service that Reflects every aspect of Dimensions 1through 4 above. In recent months, as we have worked with numerous companies, we have been impressed by the desire all of these organizations have to make sure that their customers receive the absolute best service possible. It would be so much easier if they were building that customer service based on the same Blueprint that should formulate every other activity within the organization.

In an ideal organizational culture, each of these 5 Dimensions will be optimized and that optimization will be verified in 3 ways: 1. Comparing actions to intentions, 2. Comparing stated importance to operational importance, and 3. Examining Operational Effectiveness. This is how we create operational accountability. Is what we say we are about (our vision and values), is that what people experience both inside and outside our organization? Do we behave in a way that reflects what we say is important? Do we apply our vision and values in a way that is generating our most desired outcomes? These are questions that must be answered regularly, not just yearly or quarterly. When all of this comes together, you have a Legacy Culture.