The 3 Keys to Progress: Fit, Interaction, and Mindset

Culture has always fascinated me. In the IceHrm community, we like to look at it from two perspectives (thanks to www.Dictionary.com): first, as the quality of a person or society that arises from the pursuit of excellence, and second, as the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. Culture clearly has many complex dimensions (which is why it interests me so much), especially corporate culture, as Chris Jones, our community member interested in complexity and change, highlights in his interesting series of posts, which begins here.

I help companies build a strong culture through the people they hire. This is a pragmatic approach to building a cultural community that encompasses people, values, and ideals. Members of our community also discuss culture as a personal matter, seeking ways to align personality and corporate culture to create the necessary "fit" for a positive work experience. And we view it as a social construct because I firmly believe in the principles of social entrepreneurship, which unites the sometimes opposing forces of pragmatism and idealism.

When cultures are compatible, an organization can overcome problems, innovate, and thrive. Without cultural compatibility, an organization and its members will not be successful and will always remain vulnerable to innovative challengers.

Building a corporate and community culture requires different types of interaction: transactional, transformative, and implicit. I adopted this model from McKinsey & Company and SandHill.com, who discussed it in their Software 2006 Industry Report.

Transactional interactions are repeatable and rule-based. People receive rewards and achieve success through these interactions because they have relatively equal and predictable value for the participants. From a cultural perspective, this is a fundamental requirement: there must be a level playing field where the rules are clearly understood by all participants so that everyone can benefit.

Transformative interactions are also an essential part of corporate culture. Something is transformed from one state to another; in the McKinsey model, this might be the conversion of one thing into something else, but from a cultural perspective, I view it as an interaction in which one participant benefits from and is transformed by the interaction. It may not be an equal exchange, but both sides benefit. For example, the relationship between a career advisor and a job seeker should be transformative.

Silent interactions are somewhat more difficult to define – Ross Mayfield describes them as “judgment or insight applied to complex communication or problem-solving.” In the context of culture, I see this as a shared trust that enables deeper and more valuable interaction – a sustainable competitive advantage – which I aim to impart to our participants through the efforts of the IceHrm community.

I am certain that creating a social community requires interactions that encompass both idealism and pragmatism: idealism, because the goal is to do social good through the community; pragmatism, because there must be a certain return on investment for community members, otherwise they won't engage. And, of course, this requires culture.

IceHrm's business and community model focuses on culture: how it is developed and how our community members benefit from it. Within the TC community, we create valuable interactions that can help job seekers find the right company, provide career professionals with a space to discuss workplace and recruitment issues, and foster an environment with the resources and depth of thought that complement the many facets of an organization's culture and growth potential.

A positive culture means progress for both employers and employees, and progress is what we crave most. We want to know that we have accomplished a task, developed a successful strategy, and satisfied a difficult customer. We want to evolve. In the IceHrm community, we will examine culture in both business and social contexts. We provide HR professionals with the tools and insights to harmonize company culture and build strong cultural communities between management and employees. We talk about culture, communication, and progress – always progress.