Episode 3: Unlocking Workplace Culture: Breathing Life into Your Values Through Behaviors
With Laura Hamill
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Key Takeaways
Laura Hamill, is a leading expert in driving cultural change within organizations. Her wisdom on nurturing employee wellbeing and enhancing organizational performance is truly transformative. Here are some key takeaways:
Organizational Support is Vital: Laura emphasizes that improving employee wellbeing is impossible without robust organizational support. This support spans from managers to top-level leaders, who actively encourage and prioritize it.
Crucial Role of Culture: Culture plays a pivotal role in making wellbeing a reality within an organization. Sadly, culture is often misunderstood and left unaddressed, even though it's the number one priority for employees.
Culture's Abstract Nature: Culture is a complex and abstract concept, making it challenging to grasp and influence. It operates at an unconscious level, shaping our actions and behaviors without us even realizing it.
Moving Beyond Surface Values: While articulating company values is a positive step, the real test lies in translating these values into day-to-day behaviors. Laura suggests the importance of behavioralizing values to create a tangible culture that's actively lived.
Career Progression through Culture: Behavioralizing values not only brings culture to life but also establishes a career ladder within the organization. It provides clarity on what it takes to become a manager or leader while staying aligned with the organization's culture and purpose.
Systemic Approach to Performance: Laura dispels the myth that hiring 'better' individuals solves all performance issues. In reality, 70% of performance variance is attributed to the organization's systems, not individual traits.
The Neglected Art of Job Design: Job design often takes a backseat in discussions, but it's a critical factor in employee wellbeing. Striking a balance between workload, expectations, and humane job design is essential for sustained performance and happiness.
Laura's insights challenge us to rethink how we approach organizational wellbeing. It's not just about surface-level changes but a holistic transformation that empowers individuals and organizations alike.
Guest Bio
Dr. Laura Hamill is an organizational psychologist and business leader, focusing on the intersection of science and HR. Laura is an expert on creating great places to work. Her research is centered around employee well-being, employee engagement, and organizational culture.
Laura is the owner of Paris Phoenix Group, a consulting firm specializing in driving impactful research and outcomes. In her consulting business, Laura has had the opportunity to work with numerous organizations to assess and transform their cultures. Laura was also a co-founder of Limeade, an employee experience software company, where she held the dual roles of Chief People Officer and Chief Science Officer. Before Limeade, Laura worked at Microsoft as the Director of People Research.
She is a sought-after thought leader and speaker – having keynoted at major tech and HR conferences and featured in Fast Company, Forbes, HR Executive, Inc., NPR, SELF, US News & World Report, and other top HR publications. Laura is also a host on the Happy at Work podcast, where she interviews organizational leaders, Human Resources professionals, and positive psychology researchers to create more positive workplaces. Laura also is writing a book with The Economist about organizational culture to be published in 2024.
Laura earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in industrial/organizational psychology from Old Dominion University and a B.A. in psychology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She lives in Woodinville, Washington, with her husband, two children, and golden retriever.
