151 Quick Ideas for Delegating and Decision Making

43When Culture Stands in the Way

Organizations all have a “culture.” Culture is their set of rules and behavior expectations, their processes for making things happen, and their expectations for how people will behave and how the organization behaves. These are cultural norms.

Unfortunately, sometimes this culture can be a barrier to good decision making in the same way that challenging the status quo can be. An organizational culture may dictate one set of behaviors that your decision might violate. It might suggest that boundaries between union and management are inviolate and you can’t consult with employees on a decision because they are union. It might have a rigid hierarchy of management that bars you from talking with senior managers about ...