Many years ago, a colleague of mine left the consultancy we both worked for to join a competitor.
Shortly after, word got around that her sales figures went through the roof in the new firm.
I was curious to learn what helped her be so successful at the new company. When we met for dinner, I asked her what she thought was different.
She reflected on potential reasons: “It can’t be me. I’m still the same person I was three months ago. It’s not the services, either — we’re still doing the good old OD consulting. It’s not the market — that’s the same, too,” she continued. “It must be the company culture,” she finally concluded.
Individual performance = (person x culture)
Company culture was never discussed openly at the firm we both worked at. Our employer wanted us to believe that individual performance was merely a function of our personal traits, motives, grit, discipline, knowledge, and experience.
