C Level Seminar: Culture Trumps Everything

What determines our behaviors as human beings at the individual and organizational level?  Although it often feels as though either our biology or our personality (or both) guides our decisions about issues large and small, increasing evidence suggests that… culture trumps everything.

 

What happens when people who are normally loud and boisterous walk into a church or a library? They lower their voices. Did they suddenly change their biology or their personalities?  Of course not. They simply responded appropriately to cultural expectations of behavior. It seems obvious in this case, but the truth is that culture has a similar impact on virtually everything that every one of us does – every day – without even realizing it. The many cultures that each of us simultaneously belong to have a disproportionate impact on the ways we think, feel and behave. As a result, leaders of organizations both large and small have the opportunity to shape their cultures in ways that foster positive outcomes for all stakeholders – from employees, to senior leaders, to shareholders, to the broader community.

 

Dr. Grodnitzky will investigate the powerful ways in which a variety of factors, including behavioral norms, alternative corporate models, habit patterns, connectedness, trust, language, and time perspective, impact the creation of “quintessence” in organizations. It is this quintessence – or lack thereof – that ultimately determines the success and sustainability of organizations. As leaders, we get the organizations we deserve, as a direct result of the cultures we nourish (or neglect). If we want to ensure the best possible outcomes for ourselves and our organizations, we must focus on developing the cultures that foster success for all stakeholders, because… culture trumps everything.

 

Clayton Ballroom 

 

 

 

Non-Member / Service Provider Guests are 60

 

 

 

Gustavo Grodnitzky has a Ph.D. in clinical and school psychology and has extensive experience in interpersonal communications, strategic planning, change management and development of organizational culture. He has been a consultant for corporations and individual executives, working with management and staff to increase their effectiveness and success at numerous Fortune 500, mid-sized and smaller companies. He has presented at a variety of national and international professional conferences, has written numerous manuscripts for publication and is often called on to review books and manuscripts prior to publication.