discussion post

Discussion 2: Shared Practice 2: Creating a Sustainable Organization

In his research to identify what can make a company truly great for the long term, Jim Collins (2005) found an essential personal quality of senior executives that took his research team by surprise: humility combined with intense professional will. All the companies his research identified that made the leap to being truly great companies over a long period of time had a senior executive that exhibited these qualities. These executives were not particularly charismatic, stayed out of the public eye, and rarely boasted about their own professional accomplishments. Each guided his or her company through tough times, helped foster a sustainable organizational culture, and left his or her company with effective managers capable of sustaining success.

For this final Discussion, review the Learning Resources and think about your own professional experiences to identify the management practices that contribute to sustainable organizational culture. Also, reflect on the management practices you have observed or employed that create and sustain a positive and profitable work environment as you prepare for the discussion post below.

Post by Day 5 an explanation of the direct and indirect contributions managers make to create a sustainable organizational culture. In your explanation, select and describe three management practices—from the resources or your professional experience—that you consider to be essential for contributing to a sustainable organizational culture. (Hint: Your answer needs to take into account that creating a sustainable organization culture is not an easy task—the direct and indirect contributions may require the managers make difficult choices that impact employees in different ways.)