Workplace culture – your organisation’s superpower, or its kryptonite?

Guest columnist Carla Ewin explores why we often ignore our superpower.

If there is one thing we have seen clearly and repeatedly, it is what goes wrong when leaders don’t monitor and prioritise workplace culture.

The ‘way we work’ or the ‘way we do things around here’ is just as important as what we do. ‘The way we work’ is widely recognised as a critical component that makes an organisation productive, collaborative, adaptable, innovative and sustainable.

Then why is culture so often the last thing we prioritise – why do we wait until something goes wrong before we understand its power?

The first time I noticed this was while working in an investment bank in London – yes, it was just after the financial crisis and every bank’s risk culture was under the microscope.