11 FOSTERING A BA SERVICE CULTURE

INTRODUCTION

Organisational culture may be defined as:

Given that a ‘service’ is concerned with applying skills in order to offer benefit to customers, a service culture is present when the staff of an organisation share customer service values, contribute to the development of a service focus and are motivated to deliver an excellent service to customers.

Having awareness of cultural differences, and their impact, is essential for anyone whose work requires them to engage with stakeholders and understand stakeholder perspectives and requirements. Therefore, understanding the origins and characteristics of an organisational culture is essential for those delivering the BA Service. The breadth of the business analysis landscape is such that business analysts may work with stakeholders from many different organisations, such as external suppliers or regulators, and some of these stakeholders may be located in different countries. As a result, business analysts working with project stakeholders may have to take account of many different national and organisational cultures.

The impact of cultural differences can be extensive. For example, these differences may be apparent in the following scenarios:

• when eliciting requirements from stakeholders based in different countries;

• when defining requirements and business rules with business staff whose level of authority is limited by the organisation’s hierarchical management style;

• when communicating with outsourced development staff; this may be further extended if they are working off-shore;

• when analysing product gaps with supplier organisations;

• when deploying a solution into customer organisations, both within the same country and internationally.

The nature of culture can be extremely subtle and understanding the cultural impact upon a project, team, requirements or solution may require considerable reflection and analysis. In some circumstances, despite careful planning, cultural differences may even threaten the success of a business change initiative.

Developing a service culture requires an understanding of two aspects: the customers and what they require from the organisation; and, the nature of organisational culture. The BA Service customers, and the various categories of customer, were discussed in Chapter 10. This chapter discusses the following areas:

• what is meant by ‘culture’;

• the frameworks that may be used to understand a prevailing culture and adapt behaviour accordingly;

• the difference between climate and culture;

•the existence of different ‘nested’ cultures within organisations.

THE ESSENCE OF CULTURE

The nature of organisational culture has been the subject of extensive research. Culture has been said to encompass ‘taken-for-granted beliefs and values’ (Johnson et al., 2017) and to consist of the ‘unwritten rules of the social game’ (Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov, 2010) that drive feelings and actions. The various elements relating to culture were depicted by Edward T. Hall (1976) as an iceberg, as shown in Figure 11.1.

Figure 11.1 The Iceberg model of culture (adapted from Hall, 1976)

Business analysts regularly work with stakeholders who sometimes demonstrate behaviour that is challenging and perplexing. The need to engage with stakeholders as customers and, where possible, influence them towards achieving the desired project outcomes was discussed in Chapter 10. The Iceberg model reflects the way in which cultural behaviours are created by the invisible emotions, thoughts, values and beliefs that exist ‘under the surface’. These may be felt and held very strongly by individuals; however, they may not be clearly expressed. The behaviours caused by such feelings will be evident though.

The Iceberg model offers a framework through which to understand and explore why stakeholders are behaving in a particular way. Where a stakeholder is being unhelpful or abrupt, it is helpful to think about what may be underlying this behaviour. In other words, what are the ‘invisible’ emotions, thoughts, values and beliefs that are leading to the behaviour. Unhelpful behaviour may result from a variety of personal or professional issues. For example, someone may be abrupt because they are trying to cope with a family problem and are distracted from the work in hand; alternatively, there may be a culture within the organisation that prioritises speed over attitude, imposes tight deadlines and leads to behaviour that may be deemed abrupt.

Understanding the source of the unhelpful behaviour can often provide insights into how this may be addressed. The Thomas-Kilmann conflict styles described in Chapter 10 offer five different ways to behave in a situation where there is an actual or potential conflict. For example:

• Where the root cause for the behaviour appears to be cultural, further analysis may be needed to determine how the issue should be addressed. The cultural frameworks described later in this chapter will help with this analysis. Unfortunately, some organisational cultures are so deep-rooted that resolving an issue may prove beyond the capabilities of the BA Service. In this situation, an accommodating style may prove most beneficial.

• Where cultural behaviours are causing difficulties for the project, it is probable that an early response will be required. In this situation, it may be necessary to adopt a competing style, possibly through leveraging support from a line manager.

• Where the behaviour is out of character, seems to relate to a personal issue and is unlikely to have an impact on the project, an avoiding approach may be the most appropriate short-term response.

A related technique that can also provide insights into a stakeholder’s behaviour is Checkland’s (1999) CATWOE; in particular, the ‘W’ element, which enables consideration of a stakeholder’s worldview. This technique encourages analysts to consider what a stakeholder believes and values about a situation and helps to highlight their priorities. The organisational culture is likely to have an impact upon these beliefs, values and priorities.

Where there are several worldviews to accommodate, consideration of the other CATWOE elements can also provide insights to support positive engagement with the stakeholders. For example, as identified in Chapter 10, there are several different types of customer and CATWOE can help the business analyst to understand which customers are viewed as a priority by some stakeholders. Comparing the type of customer who would benefit from each stakeholder worldview will help to identify where customers may be overlooked (if a particular worldview is not accommodated) or where there are different levels of customer to consider (if each worldview targets a different customer and they are all potentially valid). Understanding the organisational culture can help to clarify why particular customers are prioritised and the underlying rationale for the worldview.

The CIA model discussed in Chapter 5 can help to determine if action is necessary or desirable to resolve a cultural issue. There may be some situations where it is possible to resolve a situation by taking control or where some influence may be exerted. However, in other situations a cultural issue may be deep-seated and acceptance may be the only way to move forward.

Schein levels of organisational culture

An accepted approach to viewing culture was developed originally by Schein (2016), whereby three levels of organisational culture were identified. These three levels are represented in Figure 11.2.

Figure 11.2 Levels of organisational culture (based upon Schein, 2016)

These three levels of a culture are described as:

1. Common assumptions: these are the deepest level of beliefs and assumptions held by the individuals within the organisation.

2. Shared values: this level derives from the aggregation of the shared values held by individuals within the organisation. These values guide how those within the group act in different situations.

3. Observable culture: this reflects anything that customers, suppliers or any other individuals or groups may observe with regard to the organisation. The observable level is a manifestation of the organisational culture and includes the documents, behaviours or symbols that represent the organisation. At this level, the deeper essence of the culture is reflected in how people act, what they say and how they respond to others.

When working with stakeholders, it is possible to identify the impact of shared cultural values on observable behaviour. If a stakeholder is uncooperative, or even rude, it is worthwhile analysing if the organisational culture, or its impact on individuals, is likely to result in the behaviour on display. This can improve understanding of the root cause of unacceptable behaviour.

Within a BA Service, it is possible to observe how individual business analysts behave, the artefacts that they create and the terminology they use when engaging with their customers or other stakeholders. The role of the BA leader when developing a service culture is to identify where the observable behaviours and artefacts are undesirable or are not aligned with the culture of the organisation, and understand the beliefs, assumptions and shared values that drive these behaviours. Through consideration of the levels identified by Schein, it is possible to uncover which beliefs and values held by individual business analysts should be challenged in order to assist cultural and behavioural change. It is also possible to uncover shared values amongst the team members that are not in line with the desired culture for the BA Service.

CULTURAL FRAMEWORKS

Several frameworks exist that enable business analysts to gain insights into organisational and national cultures and, accordingly, the behaviours and attitudes they observe. This cultural analysis can help analysts to understand the underlying values and beliefs that exist and may enable them to manage situations more effectively by:

• analysing cultural assumptions to ensure that a solution will gain acceptance;

• avoiding actions or terminology that will cause issues or even increase resistance;

• adopting approaches that demonstrate cultural sensitivity. These might include the use of phrases that align with the local culture.

The most popular frameworks for analysing and understanding culture are:

• the cultural web;

• Handy’s model of organisation cultures;

• Hofstede’s national culture dimensions.

These are discussed below, together with their application to a business analysis context.

The cultural web

The cultural web (Johnson et al., 2017) provides seven interlinked dimensions for analysing the culture within an organisation. Figure 11.3 shows the cultural web and the elements it encompasses.

Figure 11.3 The cultural web (Johnson et al., 2017)

The paradigm is at the heart of this model and has been defined as:

The paradigm aligns with the shared values represented in Figure 11.2. It is based on the assumptions and experiences of those working within an organisation or a community (for example, a BA Service) and helps to guide how they act in response to business events and situations. The paradigm drives the other elements of the cultural web, including the behaviours of the employees within the team, the physical systems and the symbols applied. Where the shared values of a BA Service are concerned with delivering an effective customer-oriented service, this will drive the behaviours of the business analysts within the team and ensure that the required customer experience is achieved.

Establishing a cultural paradigm requires BA leaders to undertake the following approach:

• recognise and understand the values that are required to underlie the BA Service and the service culture;

• produce a statement of the values;

• communicate the values, the practices and the behaviours that must be adopted and demonstrated to ensure cultural alignment;

• foster a shared belief in the importance of these values to ensure that they are embedded and persist.

The six outer elements of the cultural web represent the practices that are the manifestations or observable behaviours resulting from the cultural paradigm. BA leaders can build and foster the service culture through ensuring that these elements align with the values that form the basis for the paradigm. The other elements are applied to the BA Service as follows:

• Rituals and routines: the ways in which things are done within the BA Service. These may be the routine processes and procedures, or the specific activities undertaken in particular circumstances. For example, a weekly meeting that follows a set agenda (routine) and always begins with coffee and cake (ritual).

• Stories: the tales told about people and events that have been part of the history of the BA Service and help to clarify the values and beliefs. For example, stories about behaviour demonstrated by stakeholders or business analysts that is deemed acceptable or unacceptable.

• Symbols: the items that exemplify or reflect meaning beyond the surface representation. For example, a large desk that denotes the importance of a particular stakeholder.

• Power structures: the ways in which authority, influence or control is invested in groups or individuals either within the BA Service or the customer community. For example, the automatic allocation of power to a designated role or job title.

• Organisational structures: the ways in which management and communication lines are organised and the extent to which decision-making authority is devolved to employees. For example, the application of hierarchical or delayered structures, and centralised or decentralised structures may result in a centralised BA Service that offers its services to the rest of the organisation. This could provide a strong basis for developing a service culture amongst the community of business analysts. The different ways in which a BA Service may be organised and structured are discussed in Chapter 1.

• Control systems: the metrics, measurements and reward systems applied within the BA Service. For example, the use of the Balanced Scorecard for each individual business analyst’s performance review; the use of surveys to measure and monitor the performance of the BA Service. These are discussed in Chapters 5 and 13.

Figure 11.4 identifies questions to consider when exploring these cultural elements.

BA leaders need to consider these elements and ask themselves what they say about the culture within the BA Service. For example:

• Are there rituals that indicate a lack of engagement with stakeholders? How can these rituals be changed?

• Are the stories that are told representative of a prevailing attitude towards customers or colleagues? If this is critical or dismissive, why is this the case and what might be done to address this?

• Is there an immediate search for a culprit whenever an error occurs, or an issue arises? Alternatively, do the stories told reflect admiration for colleagues?

• Is there a focus on collaborative structures? If not, is this required and how might it be changed?

Figure 11.4 The cultural web applied to the BA Service (adapted from Johnson et al., 2017)

Consideration of these elements helps to uncover where the BA Service culture is out of alignment with the rest of the organisation or the BA leader’s beliefs.

Handy’s model of organisational cultures

Charles Handy (1993) developed a model setting out four cultures that may be seen within organisations. The key points of each of these cultures are shown in Figure 11.5.

These four cultures are further described in Table 11.1.

Figure 11.5 Summary of Handy’s organisational cultures

Table 11.1 Handy’s organisational cultures

Each of these cultures may be found within a BA Service.

• A power culture may exist where the BA leader, and possibly some senior business analysts, hold the power within the BA Service and make decisions and set the rules to govern different situations.

• A role culture may exist where there are specific grades or levels of business analyst and a clear hierarchy is present within the BA Service. This may result in a BA Service that is more concerned with position and rules than operating a service culture that is focused on customers.

• A person culture may exist where some of the business analysts are recognised as possessing specialist skills and are able to determine the services delivered and the approaches adopted. However, this type of organisational culture may not support a service worldview, given that the focus is on empowering individuals with specialist expertise rather than meeting the needs of the BA Service customers.

• A task culture may exist where the focus is on the outcomes required from the task (for example, an iteration or project). This type of organisational culture may be highly relevant to a service culture where the emphasis is on utilising T-shaped skills to deliver a service with a stated value proposition.

To a large extent, how the BA Service operates, and the culture that is adopted, relies upon the values and beliefs of those in leadership positions within the organisation. In some situations, the BA leader may have sufficient authority to influence this; in other cases, there may be a clear organisational culture that imposes rules and drives behaviour. Within some organisations, it is possible for the BA Service to develop a localised climate or a distinct culture that determines how business analysts work with their stakeholders. The local climate and ‘nested culture’ concepts are discussed later in this chapter.

The definitions of Handy’s organisational cultures may be used to analyse the BA Service. The definitions have the potential to offer insights into the way in which different organisational cultures work and the impact these cultures may have on business analysts and the delivery of business analysis services to customers. These insights may also support initiatives to develop a service culture within the BA Service and change behaviour that is unhelpful, inappropriate or unacceptable.

Hofstede’s national culture dimensions

The work initially undertaken by Geert Hofstede, and later extended in collaboration with Gert Jan Hofstede and Michael Minkov (2010), has increasing significance for business analysts, as the need for project teams to work with international stakeholders continues to develop and grow. This may be the case whether working in large, medium-size or small organisations; even the smallest of organisations may offer services or products to overseas customers and partners.

The six dimensions identified by Hofstede et al. are:

1. Power distance;

2. Individualism vs. collectivism;

3. Masculinity vs. femininity;

4. Long-term vs. short-term orientation;

5. Uncertainty avoidance;

6. Indulgence vs. restraint.

Each of these dimensions helps the business analyst to better understand how to work with customers as they clarify the origins for behaviours and expectations. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and their application to business analysis are explained below.

• Power distance: the extent to which the less powerful members of society accept that power is distributed unequally. An acceptance that power resides in few hands may result in a reluctance to take decisions without deferring to those who hold the power. A high-power distance culture may also require business analysts to ensure that key stakeholders are engaged at all stages. Failing to take account of a power distance culture raises the risk that business analysts assume that ways forward have been agreed when this is not the case, as decisions have not been confirmed by a higher authority.

• Individualism vs. collectivism: the extent to which individuals either focus on looking after just themselves and their immediate family or believe that members of a society should look after each other. This is an interesting cultural dimension for business analysts. Within the IS industry, there are many roles and it sometimes seems that they are constantly trying to diminish, rather than support, each other. For example, this may be discerned when advocates of certain approaches or roles criticise their colleagues for using an alternative technique or varying a method. This can result in a culture where those within a particular group develop an internal focus, fail to recognise the broader picture and are more concerned with following a process than achieving the desired outcome.

• Masculinity vs. femininity: this dimension is concerned with the extent to which there is a focus on the aggressive pursuit of goals (masculinity) or a focus on consensus and quality of life (femininity). Organisations demonstrate more competitive behaviour at the masculinity end of this dimension and business analysts will need to understand that this behaviour reflects deeply held beliefs and collective values that prioritise the importance of goal achievement. In contrast, the femininity end of this dimension results from shared values that prioritise cooperation and caring.

• Long-term (pragmatic) vs. short-term (normative) orientation: the extent to which a society is concerned with long-term perseverance and a focus on the future, or on short-term tradition and norms where there are misgivings and concerns about change. Again, this is a cultural dimension that has implications for the BA Service. For example, a short-term-oriented culture may be reflected in some requirements that are concerned with short-term ‘fixes’, but may not support other requirements for a future-proofed solution. Business analysts may need to identify the potential implications of a short-term focus and clarify with stakeholders the extent to which this would cause difficulties for the organisation. Alternatively, requirements that are concerned with future business needs may not respect accepted ways of working and may result in resistance to proposed changes.

• Uncertainty avoidance: the extent to which members of a society prefer rules as a means of diminishing uncertainty and anxiety. This dimension can create significant issues for business analysts where uncertainty avoidance is the prevailing culture. The BASF (see Chapter 2) identifies early engagement services that focus on situation investigation, problem identification and feasibility assessment. These services often take place within a context where there is ambiguity and the approach to business analysis work relies on business analysts’ ability to cope with uncertainty. A culture where rules pertain could also prove difficult when working within an Agile environment, as there may be a tendency to resist adapting the approach and allowing the solution to evolve.

• Indulgence vs. restraint: the extent to which a society is concerned with the ability to indulge oneself and have fun or is restrained by the norms and constraints imposed by the society. Indulgence may be perceived in organisations where a culture exists that promotes fun and enables creativity and innovation. The restraint perspective may be observed where there is a tendency to impose governance constraints upon activities and structures. The BA leader should consider how this dimension could apply within the BA Service and the extent to which indulgence and restraint may form part of the service culture.

While Hofstede et al.’s research regarding these six dimensions is concerned with national cultures, it is often the case that the dimensions apply within sectors and organisations. For example, in some industries a culture where there is a short-term orientation with a masculine focus on goals may prevail; in particular sectors, there may be a collectivist culture that has low power distance. These cultural dimensions may also apply at a project or team level. For example, a BA leader may have a perspective that aligns with uncertainty avoidance, even where this is not typical of the organisational culture. In this situation, the BA leader may impose this perspective on the team and expect behaviours that correspond to this view. An understanding of the cultural perspective may not result in a change to the perspective of the BA leader, but it will enable the business analysts to identify where this is likely to conflict with their work and attempt remedial action if possible.

THE BA SERVICE CULTURE

Any leader has to consider the culture that they wish to prevail within their sphere of authority, whether this is across an entire organisation or limited to a particular business area or support function. The frameworks described in this chapter clarify the characteristics that prevail within different cultures and offer insights to help BA leaders foster a service culture.

Applying the cultural frameworks

Figure 11.2 shows how a culture emerges from the beliefs and assumptions held in common by individuals that then lead to shared values held by the group. BA leaders wishing to foster a service culture can influence these shared values by considering the following:

• The beliefs and values that they hold about the BA Service. For example, why the BA Service exists, how the services should be delivered, how the business analysts should engage with stakeholders, which services the BA Service should offer.

• The possible alignment of Handy’s organisational cultures and Hofstede’s national cultures with the BA leader’s beliefs and values. For example, are there any organisational cultures that would be detrimental to the BA Service? Which of the cultural dimensions defined by Hofstede et al. would support the values of the BA Service?

• The ways in which the elements in the cultural web would be applied within the BA Service. The questions shown in Figure 11.4 identify some aspects to be considered regarding the BA Service.

• The strategies to foster a service culture and ensure that it is embedded within the BA Service. For example, how the BA leader will communicate with business analysts and guide their behaviour; the ways in which business analysts will be able to contribute to the development of the service culture.

It is not sufficient for BA leaders to consider these aspects in isolation; they also need to demonstrate the values they espouse and adopt the behaviours they wish their business analysts to display. Ultimately, the development of a culture that is focused on understanding the customers and their service requirements is the responsibility of everyone within the BA Service. The aim should be to foster a service culture that is founded on the shared values of all members of the BA Service.

Nested cultures

Some business areas operate a ‘culture within a culture’ or a ‘nested culture’. This occurs where there is an overriding culture within the organisation, but a senior manager has developed an alternative culture within a particular function or business area. Where this is the case, the interplay between the cultures can be a cause of confusion or even conflict.

Nested cultures may be particularly prevalent when working within a multi-national organisation. Where business analysts are working on projects that are to be implemented across several countries, an understanding of Hofstede’s national cultures can help to highlight where cultural differences may exist and ensure that working practices are adapted as necessary.

A nested culture may also exist where more than one of Handy’s cultures is found within an organisation. For example, Handy’s task culture may apply within the change project teams even though they are operating within a broader organisation that has a role culture. The business analysts working within the project teams need to be aware that there are different cultures present to ensure that this doesn’t cause difficulties when working with stakeholders.

Nested cultures should be considered when fostering a service culture. For example, the BA Service may operate within an organisation with a dominant culture that is at odds with a service perspective or there may be several cultures present across the organisation, all of which need to be understood. The ways in which the business analysis services are provided or stakeholders are managed may be determined by the prevailing culture. Where several cultures are present, the business analysts may be faced with complex situations and conflicting stakeholder behaviours. The cultural frameworks described earlier in this chapter offer information and insights that can help business analysts to better understand and manage these situations and behaviours.

Climate and culture

The culture of an organisation may have evolved and persisted over years or decades. There have been many cases where projects to ‘change the culture’ of an organisation have been instigated but these attempts often result in limited success or complete failure.

A more localised view of culture concerns the ‘climate’ for a team. The ‘climate’ concerns a team’s working environment and making changes at this level may have a greater chance of success than trying to deliver wholescale cultural change.

The climate can have a huge impact on relationships, both within the team and with other stakeholders and, as a result, can improve overall performance. For example, improvements may be seen in how well team members relate and cooperate and how comfortable individuals feel about expressing themselves openly.

The following definition of ‘climate’ reflects this.

The climate is linked to the organisational culture, but relates to a specific team so is ‘closer to home’. Elements that effect the team climate include the following:

• perceptions of what is expected of the team;

• feelings about the manager and other team members;

• work standards;

• recognition;

• motivation;

• individual skills and abilities.

These elements are likely to be much easier for BA leaders and individual business analysts to influence and improve upon, while still ensuring that the climate within the BA Service is consistent with the organisational culture. Where the prospect of attempting to change the organisation’s culture seems like an unsurmountable challenge, the more realistic aim of changing the climate of the BA Service can seem both empowering and achievable.

The BA Service Charter

A BA Service Charter can help to foster a service culture. This should be done in collaboration with business analysts and should encompass the following factors:

• vision and shared values of the BA Service;

• shared objectives of the business analysts, the BA Service and the organisation;

• how business analysts collaborate with each other and customers;

• what customers can expect from the BA Service;

• expected behaviours from the members of the BA Service;

• agreed ways of working.

Ideally, the BA Service Charter should be a single page and should include visual elements that provide an engaging representation. Figure 11.6 shows an example structure and layout for a BA Service Charter.

The BA Service Charter is a statement of the culture and values that underpin the work of the BA Service. It should be published so that customers and colleagues are aware of its contents. The aim should be for everyone within the BA Service to ‘buy-in’ to the charter and to demonstrate that this is the case when delivering the business analysis services.

Figure 11.6 Example of a layout for a BA Service Charter

CONCLUSION

The existence of national, organisational, project or team cultures has been the subject of much research. This chapter has discussed several frameworks that describe the types of culture that may be found within organisations. Each of these cultures will have an impact upon performance and behaviour, and these impacts may be positive or detrimental.

The BA leader needs to understand the different types of culture that may exist within organisations and the impacts that emerge from different cultures. This understanding will help them to develop a service culture that is focused on co-creating value with stakeholders. The cultural frameworks also provide a basis for analysing the organisational culture within which a BA Service is required to work and will help to gain insights into the behaviours that result from different cultures.

Business analysts work with a wide variety of stakeholders and may encounter difficulties that originate from unhelpful cultural behaviours. However, there are situations where business analysts may recognise the source of the issues; for example, where there is an unhelpful or, in an extreme case, toxic, culture present, yet they may not have the authority or means to change this. There are often situations where it is not possible to change the organisational culture and attempts to do so can lead to disappointment and wasted efforts.

The CIA model (see Chapter 5) may be applied when evaluating such problematic cultural issues and will help when considering the options available to resolve them. Identifying where it is not possible to control or influence behaviour, and deciding to accept the situation, can be a more productive approach than trying to make changes and failing to do so.

While changing organisational culture is a daunting task that rarely succeeds without a transformational, longer-term approach, it is possible to analyse and adjust the more localised climate of the BA Service. This may prove a helpful measure to improve the attitudes and behaviours of the business analysts when delivering their services. A BA Service Charter may also prove beneficial to establish the characteristics of the desired culture and guide the behaviours expected from business analysts.