Rethinking Factors That Affect Organizational Culture

Even while they undoubtedly make a significant contribution, the actions of coworkers and executives do not solely determine the culture of a business. It consists of many different elements, including mentoring, employee involvement, business initiatives to protect employees’ health, and employees’ willingness to accept criticism in a constructive way, among many others. While it is crucial to grasp each of them separately, it is evident that it is challenging to comprehend each of them thoroughly at once. However, this discussion between Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, and Indra Nooyi, a pioneering former CEO of PepsiCo, identifies some of the most significant factors affecting the organization’s culture in this podcast episode on the Worklife with Adam Grant channel on the Apple Podcasts platform.

At the start of the podcast episode, Indra makes a crucial remark that has a big impact on how well a firm performs. She contends that it is crucial to think twice before focusing all of your time, effort, and marketing resources on just improving your brand image rather than using them to make your product more suitable for buyers. Every business should prioritize the needs of its clients since it is the most effective way to capture their interest. Developing a competitive brand image and using inventive marketing strategies are unquestionably essential; however, she argues that it is more important to care about the quality of your product since it will yield the best response rather than worrying about what place your product has in the quality of its marketing. Indra then turns her attention to the mentor-mentee relationship, which is the cornerstone of an organization’s culture. She asserts that it is typical for mentors to choose individuals they wish to focus their efforts on, developing their talents. A strong mentor-mentee partnership is crucial because it enables new hires to acquire valuable expertise. She proposes that in exchange for the efforts made by the mentors, each individual must put in their best effort to learn, mostly using the guidance provided in the practical scenarios. She strongly advises against disregarding the efforts made by the mentors. Respecting your mentor, even if you disagree with their viewpoint, is one of the most important pieces of advice Indra gives in this episode. She advises calmly and respectfully discussing the same and finding a common ground. Finally, Indra makes the point that it is common for the opinions of coworkers to be undervalued at key moments in an organization’s culture. And it is challenging to retain the same level of assurance and feel included in those situations. However, Indra recommends maintaining your confidence and trying your best to evaluate that even if your opinion was underestimated, under what circumstances has it been done, and what suggestions could be included in that to make it more relevant.

Every organization’s culture presents its own unique issues to its employees, some of which may be difficult to address right away. However, there are a few issues that arise at work more frequently than others. Indra Nooyi, the pioneering former CEO of PepsiCo, discusses some of these issues in this episode of the podcast Worklife with Adam Grant, on the Apple Podcasts platform.