Page 465 - leadership-experience-2008
P. 465
CikguOnline
CikguOnline
446 PART 5: THE LEADER AS SOCIAL ARCHITECT
Leadership at Work
Walk the Talk
Often in an organization the culture is characterized both by what people say (talk)
and by what people actually do (walk). When this happens there is a gap between
organizational leaders’ espoused values and the values in action within the company.
One example would be an espoused value of “a balanced life for employees,” whereas
managers and employees are actually expected to work nights and weekends to meet
demanding performance goals. This is the difference between the “walk” and the “talk”
in an organization.
Your assignment for this exercise is to think of one example in your own student
or work experience where the walk and talk in a corporate culture did not align. Why
do you think the gap occurred? Then interview four other people for examples of when
an organization’s espoused values did not align with the values in action. Also ask them
why they think the walk and talk differed. Summarize the findings from your interviews
below:
My example (and why):
Second person’s examples (and why):
Third person’s examples (and why):
Fourth person’s examples (and why):
