The politics in the middle management level of most organizations is designed to make sure executives don’t really know what the culture is really like. The only way to get past it is to dive into the weeds.
A few years ago, I started a project for a new client, “Big Company, Inc.” I was extremely excited to work in an environment that embraced change, encouraged smart failure, and strove to be a shining example of what an agile organization can be. Their CxOs were all over Crain’s talking about how they want to be innovative and instill that in their teams. It was a breath of fresh air.
I should have suspected all was not as it seemed when it took over an hour and three phone calls to get my building access badge or when I was told that the internal team made decisions by consensus in meetings. I definitely should have known something was wrong by the time I should have, but I didn’t. I strove valiantly forward creating a people-first change management plan for the national software migration my team was tasked with implementing.
My rose-colored glasses came off when the internal management representative called the plan a “dog and pony show.” (I have another article dedicated to why he was wrong.) As it turns out, somewhere around the Director level of the org chart, the message from the C-Suite was ignored. Middle managers thought that the "fail fast and be innovative" message from the top was just another "dog and pony show." At that level, there was still an obsession with not looking bad. Meetings lasted for hours seemingly for the sole purpose of so convoluting every decision that no one person could ever be “blamed” if something went wrong. Deadlines were changed so that no project was ever “behind.”
As a top executive, how can you address this? You say all the right things. Those things are put on signs, mugs, and lanyards. What else can you do? There is only one solution: Get in the weeds.
If you truly want to understand what is going on in your organization, you occasionally have to get into the weeds. There is no way for you to get this kind of information from your office. It doesn’t matter how many reports you request or emissaries you send. The political structure of the middle of a large organization is designed specifically to make sure that you do not find out how things really work. You, personally, have to experience it. This will likely make many people in the organization uncomfortable but that is the point. “We’ve always done it this way” is comfortable. “If I keep my head down, I can ride this out until retirement” is comfortable. “Don’t let leadership know this isn’t working” is comfortable. Innovation, risk-taking, and honesty are uncomfortable. Uncomfortable is where you need to be.
I have listed some examples of how you can jump into the weeds, see the real culture, and start to spark change. It is by no means exhaustive but it should give you an idea of where to start.
Pop into meetings (when we are back in person). Walk down a hallway, look in a conference room. It isn’t an HR meeting if there are more than three people in attendance. Just go in and listen. See what is and isn’t happening. It doesn’t matter if you understand the content, what you will understand are the interactions. If people get nervous that you are there, that is a sign that your organization may not be as open and agile as you’d like. If more time is spent on assigning (and ducking) blame than working on a solution, you have a problem.
Personally reach out to accounts receivable (not the CEO, or your sales rep) for random vendors and ask how hard it is for them to get paid.
Find someone who has only been at the company for 60 days and specifically ask what the worst part of joining your organization has been.
Find someone who is leaving and personally handle their exit interview.
Taking actions like the ones above will allow you to cut through the politics and get to the truth about your organization's culture. It is only then that you will be able to shift the culture. Until then, middle management will continue to think that what you say is not what they should do.