Building a Winning Team - Working on Culture As A Way To Continuously Improve Performance

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”, is a phrase originated by Peter Drucker, an American management consultant.   A winning culture is the foundation for producing sustained results.  In the best of all worlds, what does a great culture look like for your company, business unit, project team(s) or your critical innovation function? 

The Johnsonville Way, started by our 2nd generation owner, provides us with our cultural framework.  Our company mission is to “fully develop our God-given talents and help others do the same”.  The Technical Team at Johnsonville strives to be a championship team of technical professionals committed to continuous improvement and delivering superlative results in harmony with our culture.  We have used tools such Human Synergistics Organizational Culture Inventory®, Great Place To Work® Employee Survey, and Member Focus Groups to measure our culture.  How does operating culture compare to aspirational culture? The gaps identified serve as opportunities for improvement.  A recent Harvard Business Review Article, “The New Analytics of Culture”, describes how studying language used in electronic communication and social media may be a more reliable measure of actual company culture.

A great workplace culture can be a sustainable competitive advantage.  Fostering an environment where people feel empowered, assume a greater sense of personal accountability, possess a strong desire to make a difference and operate at a high level, contributes to superlative culture.  We call it the desire to “stretch and grow”.

Kevin Addesso, Senior Director of Research & Development and Food Safety & Quality, Johnsonville Sausage