I was told my questions about organisational culture were too subtle. Change of tack.

And it's a serious question. What makes your culture so fucking special?

Because everybody makes the claim theirs is. With scant evidence. Let's look at why that's the case.

Then

Organisational culture became a thing in the 1980s. It died a bit of a death in the 2000s. It's now back with a bang.

There are two basic arguments about cultural forms.

1. There is a 'one best' cultural form that will work for any organisation
2. Different cultural forms fit different organisational types

The 'one best' argument was championed by Tom Peter. He argued that there were 8 components that made up a great culture. If your culture had all eight it would be excellent.

Look, a lot of what I write is extremely critical of conventional thought. Pushes a lot of buttons. Might piss people off. 

I accept that it makes me seem grumpy and cynical. Perhaps even revel in it a little. But ultimately, my message is full of hope.

I believe there is a better way to live. We can design better organisations. Develop better managers. Inspire better leaders. We just need to face our reality. See it for what it is. Learn how to survive and thrive in it. And then take steps to improve it. 

This blog suggests a way of doing just that at a personal level. 

In the movie The Intern, a 70-year old Robert De Niro is hired to work in an online fashion start-up. Selling woman's clothes. With a highly personal touch. And great customer service. A bit like Zappos without any shoes.  

He's hired to work with the CEO. Who cycles around the office. Flits between meeting after meeting. Is late for everything. Has no time for anything. Yet somehow keeps the company going.

Bar her EA, everybody at the company seems to be having a ball. Totally relaxed dress code. Trendy industrial space. A good news bell. They cheer website clicks as they come in.  

The EA is highly qualified. But used as a dogsbody. Has to do everything. All the shit. And is woefully under-appreciated. Almost ignored. Until she has an emotional breakdown. 

At first, the CEO ignores De Niro. Gives him one five minute meeting. Then nothing. But he notices things. Does things off the bat. Remains professional. And becomes a silent mentor for her. Experience and old-style loyalty. Having her back. Helping her shape her day. Do her work. Respect her EA. Save her family. 

And then, because he's working in a Millennial environment, he stresses out. Grows a mohawk. And starts muttering to himself in the mirror. Or maybe I'm getting my films mixed up? Although the mohawk is important. 

Understanding the Millennial Workplace

Millennials have always lived in a fast-paced world. Instant information. Instant communications. Do it now, now, now. They don't work well with traditional control methodologies. Cope with technological pacing. Or bureaucratic formalization.  And definitely not cultural normalization. These things are not just passé to the Millennial. But evidence of managerial incompetence.  

The guard blew his whistle. "Stand clear of the doors." Just as one more person hurtled down the stairs to make his train. Squeezed in. Caused the doors to slide back open. The whistle and announcement again. And finally underway.

Another commute into the city. Over 30 degrees outside. Hotter in. The air conditioning wheezing out a trickle of cool relief.  Neon lights almost impotent against flickering smart screens. iPhones, iPads, Androids, Kindles. Some reading. Some watching. Some texting. The odd person slumped uncomfortably against the window, getting a few more minutes sleep. 

Schoolkids chattering. Random inanities mixed with fearful excitement about upcoming exams. One couple, wedged together in the aisle, arranging evening activities. Who's leaving work early to pick up the kids. Who's cooking. Who has to work until ten.

And so on. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. Every city in the developed world. 

What are we doing it for? Scurrying around like important ants late for a dropped sugar cube. Does it make us happy? Do we do worthwhile things? 

The State of Work

I'm regularly invited to lectures, seminars, presentations and meetings about the current state of work. Voraciously consumed media on the same. This is what I repeatedly hear:

• 86% believe there is a leadership crisis
• 75% of employees say their boss is the worst part of their job
• 65% say they’d take a new boss over a pay rise
• 70% of projects fail or come in significantly over budget
• 90% of startups fail
• 85% of employees are disengaged
• 66% of change fails
• 66% of millennials are looking for a new job
• 50% employees want to change their job

So, it seems for 50-90% of us, work sucks.

I'd like to take you back to the early Eighties. Specifically, Eighties TV. The stories of the rich and powerful. Dallas and Dynasty. The Ewings and the Carringtons. JR and Bobby. Blake and Alexis. The luxury. The trappings of power. The money. The women. The affairs. The decadence. 

Why are long-dead Eighties TV shows relevant to LinkedIn and the themes I blog about? The death of organisational culture? The decline of management thought?Failed change? The decadence of organisational life? And the irony, cynicism and sarcasm of the workplace?

Because, at the same time these shows were being made, management thought was experiencing a frenzy of newfound enthusiasm. The birth of the strong culture movement. A massive outpouring of promises made in the name of the high-tech way of life. A new era, new work organizations, a new man and woman. Huge profits, futuristic innovation, humane working environments, and happy, productive workers. 

We were shown images of utopia. Given promises of an organisational society without discontents. Shown a "you can have it all" world that fulfils dreams. And releases us from limited opportunity. All captured by TV through big hair, large shoulder pads, glittery dresses and Stetson hats. 

"So what", you might ask. I know we are all used to the seriousness of management and organisation being transmitted with numbers. Via statistics. Charts. Tables. Cognitive science. Organisational psychology. And other such serious scientific disciplines. What have Dallas and Dynasty got to do with all of this? 

We forget that organisations are collections of humans interacting with each other. And that human action and interaction have been captured by other disciplines during the centuries. Art, literature, drama, music. And TV shows. That reveal underlying, subconscious themes that concern us all.