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Resource: Katzenbach and Smith on improving team culture

You’ve probably thought about how important a strong team culture is to your organisation’s performance – and you’ve probably also experienced how hard it can be to change you culture.

In “The Wisdom of Teams” Katzenbach and Smith suggest that focusing on developing team culture – for example, holding retreats to develop a sense of commitment to the team and its cause – is less effective in bringing about change in culture than focusing on concrete goals and activities (such as the clear goals and ways of working that people can actually commit to):

Start with changing behaviors, not mindsets. It is much easier to “act your way into new thinking,” than to “think your way into new actions.”

Recurring and consistent performance results from behaviour change will lead to lasting changes in the way people feel, think and believe in the long run.

Jon Katzenbach – as quoted by PraxisFramework

Another way of saying this is that your team’s practices will shape its culture more than anything else.

What will you do tomorrow?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommended resources...

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