Cultivating positive behaviour
Blueprint’s Framework refers to a set of behaviours needed to build character and achieve purpose. These describe the bundle of behaviours and expected actions of a business committed to being purpose-led and are shaped by the assumptions and beliefs that the business has about people and the role of business in society.
- Other people matter (Solidarity) – actively seeking to serve the broadest community
- Freedom with responsibility (Subsidiarity) – trusting and enabling others in decision making
- Building trust and trusted relationships (Reciprocity) – generously sharing time and knowledge with others
- Valuing diversity and building bridges (Plurality) – actively engaging with critics and different voices to test thinking
- Stewardship of people, values and resources (Sustainability) – developing people and replenishing resources
Each of these behaviours is expressed as a minimum, a platform from which to grow and an aspiration, an idea of where a person or an organisation could go if they really behaved and lived in this way. The following image explores how this evolving thinking can influence habitual behaviour:
A copy of this can also be downloaded here: Using the Blueprint Framework
In Blueprint’s view, for these behaviours to become routine and expected is essential to create the conditions needed for other people to do their best work and to thrive and grow. Each of the behaviours is explored in more detail in: Understanding the Blueprint Framework
Cultivating behaviour change
Having determined that there are certain behaviours that it would like to foster, some companies try and ‘impose’ these through a ‘culture change’ project. But if culture is an evolving set of beliefs and attitudes, approaching change as a ‘project’, with a command and control style roll-out is unlikely to achieve the desired change.
An approach that is more consistent with the behaviours that such a change is seeking to cultivate, is through a mindset of invitation – ‘with and alongside’ people rather than seeking to do things ‘to and for’ them.
Example – Best Buy
In this HBR article Putting Your Corporate Purpose to Work (hbr.org) Hubert Joly, former CEO of Best Buy, discusses how a company purpose becomes reality only if employees understand what it concretely means for them and their work, and if they get personally excited about it. He explains that this does not mean rushing to communicate and cascade the newly formulated purpose to all employees. The process must start from within, and bottom-up so that employees each understand what the purpose means in practice for each of them.
‘Take the example of a woman who walked into a Best Buy store looking for headphones. She tells one of the store’s salespeople that she’s not sure which ones to choose. The salesperson has a choice. He can either recommend the most sophisticated — and expensive — headphones, or he can spend time understanding what she needs. He starts a conversation. Prompted by his interest, the woman explains that she needs to block off some of the noise in her open-plan office to be able to focus, but she wants to hear when her colleagues need her. Once the salesperson understands her problem, he can recommend the most appropriate headphones, which are not the most expensive. The customer is happy: She found someone who listened and genuinely helped her. And the salesperson feels good as well: His job is not to push headphones. Instead, he made a positive difference in someone’s daily life through technology.’
Influencing mindset and behaviour is a long and complex process. It depends on effective communication and dialogue at all levels, to allow space for people to understand what the purpose means for the business and how their work contributes to it, and why these are behaviours which need to be encouraged by everyone. It involves leadership at all levels as well as all employees striving to role model the behaviours they want to cultivate and demonstrating the authenticity of the purpose. It might also involve developing new talents and skills.
Finally, formal mechanisms (such as structures, systems and processes) need to reinforce and support the new mindsets and behaviours the company is seeking to cultivate.
McInsey’s Influence model summarises this nicely:
