We are excited to announce an upcoming series of guest posts by one of our first ever Subscribe-HR customers! Over the next few months Dr. Zivit Inbar, people and performance expert in the field of technology VC’s and start-ups, will be sharing her expertise with us in a series of 3 guest posts about culture, recruitment and corporate ethics.
Culture Is Key
Culture is one of the two most used words in exit interviews. It is also a common reason behind the failures of companies of all sizes. However, it feels like although everyone knows what culture is, when it comes to building a culture that supports organisational growth, many believe that this ‘fluffy’ concept just evolves as the company grows.
According to Dr. Inbar, this is a wrong and risky assumption. Culture is a product of leadership and management; it can and should be proactively lead. It doesn’t cost money, nor require resources, yet this does not mean that culture should be ignored. The risks of getting culture wrong are simply too great.
For every start-up and small to medium sized business, the window of opportunity is too small to ignore the importance of culture and too often leadership lets it evolve organically into whichever direction it takes. By not taking a proactive approach in leading your organisation’s culture, you are building the path for its failure one way or another. The blog about culture will cover the following topics, all with practical advice for start-ups, VCs and SMEs:
- Cultural complexity: What is culture? Why is culture important? What types of cultures evolve in start-ups, VCs and SMEs?
- Cultural threats: What is ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ culture? What it could lead to? What are the signs to watch for?
- The opportunities: What types of culture support the success and growth of start-ups, VCs and SMEs? What opportunities does culture generate?
- Building the culture of your organistion: How to proactively design, build and maintain the culture of your start-up, VC or SME.
- When the culture is not working to your advantage: How to identify the signs that the culture of your organisation doesn’t support its success and growth? What should you do when the culture isn’t working?
Rethinking Recruitment
Recruitment is often perceived as a transactional process where the focus on workforce planning and the selection of the right candidate receives less attention. However, for start-ups, VCs and SMEs, the transactional recruitment process is not where you need to focus. The timing of the process, the analysis of what exactly you are looking for and the selection criteria and process themselves form the foundation of your recipe for success. The rethinking recruitment post will provide you with practical advice on how to transform your recruitment process from a transactional one to one that truly focuses on hiring the right people with the right skills at the right time.
The Role of Ethics in Corporate Culture
The third post will focus on the role of corporate ethics and culture. It will include some insights from the upcoming book The Ethical Kaleidoscope: The Role of Boards in Corporate Ethics co-authors by Dr. Long and Dr. Inbar.
About Dr. Zivit Inbar
Dr. Zivit Inbar is a people and performance expert in the field of technology VC’s and start-ups.
An industry Professor in the MBA Program at Deakin University (Melbourne), Zivit is a non-executive director, senior executive, advisory board member and acting chair with over 15 years’ leadership experience at board and executive levels.
Zivit’s expertise spans:
- HR strategies for Startups and VCs.
- Private and listed Australian and global technology organisations.
- China, APAC, Europe and the US.
- Technology product lifecycles.
- Cross-border governance and compliance.
- Global expansions.
- Cultural change management and integration.
- International M & A due diligence.
- Organisational development and growth.
Dr. Inbar has a PhD by research focused on strategic thinking and strategy implementation by Western companies operating in China. Ethical Kaleidoscope: The Role of Boards in Leading Corporate Ethics, co-authored by Dr. Zivit Inbar, will be published in late 2016.
