Captain of the Ship - Navigating Bureaucracy and Culture

Captain of the Ship

Wind and Current

Navigating Bureaucracy –and Culture

Imagine your organization as a sailboat in open water. You must navigate it from where it is to where it needs to be. As the “captain,” you need to understand two separate but equal forces that affect the steering of your vessel.

The first is bureaucracy, represented by the wind. You use your sails to capture that force and use it to achieve organizational goals. You adjust the sails from time to time as conditions change. For example, policies, positions, budgets, and programs constantly need your attention as internal and external conditions are changing.

The other force requiring attention is culture. That is the undercurrent which if ignored will throw you off course. In this case, rather than adjusting your sails, you need to ensure that your boat has a rudder that recognizes culture as an equal partner. With its sister force, bureaucracy the rudder is cognizant that the sails alone cannot effectively navigate your vessel.

Culture is represented by beliefs, not mission, values, not policies. It includes trusting relationships versus supervision. A sense of belonging versus employment. It doesn’t suggest one is more important than the other as it would be foolish to think wind is more important than current. Each force is respectful of the other.

The differences between bureaucracy and culture are stark. The first requires that you “see” and the second needs you to “feel.” The first draws from a strong sense of the mechanics of the organization. It is driven by hierarchical positions. Captains of the ship can delegate up to a point ensuring that the sails are correctly positioned, etc. Culture demands a balance between leadership and trust. For bureaucracy to function it requires management and obedience. Culture is driven by respect. The first you expect the second you earn.

The primary purpose of a bureaucracy is efficiency. There is a chart of work, goals, and achievements that need to be realized. The greater the complexity of what needs to be achieved the larger and more complex the bureaucracy. Primarily, bureaucracies function by:

1. Administrative Efficiency
2. Standardization
3. Specialization
4. Rational Decision-Making
5. Accountability

Bureaucracies by design require positions of varied specialties to carry forward their tasks and achieve goals. Culture does not recognize positions; it is driven by people.

People introduce new dynamics to the equation. In this case, the true role of a culture is to ensure effectiveness as the bureaucracy can only serve as the vehicle to produce a product or deliver a service but the value of that product or service is a result of the shared values, beliefs, relationships, belonging, trust, equity, and a sense of wellness among a diverse group of people who are brought together.

Final note: In a bureaucracy, the “Captain” of the ship is given authority. In culture, “Captain” earns legitimacy from its people. Now the ship is ready to sail.

By

Rick Miller

Professor of Practice

Arizona State University

[email protected]

The Intersection Construct

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Rick Miller is also the founder of Kids at Hope, an international initiative that intersects the science of hope with positive youth development. Kids at Hope is based on the theory that all kids are capable of success, No Exceptions. Kids at Hope offers a strategic cultural framework rather than a program or curriculum model to advance its work by demonstrating how a village raises and educates its children.