James Madison

My department's been dysfunctional for years, and I've just been promoted to lead it. The previous manager blamed the problems on the team. The team blames the previous manager. HR blames both. Everyone has a different story, and I don't know who to believe (or trust). I've been told to "fix the culture," but I'm not sure culture is the problem. It could be the systems are broken—unclear processes, contradictory incentives, no accountability mechanisms. When I suggested structural changes, people say I'm "not addressing the real issue" which is "trust". Do I focus on fixing the people and relationships, or do I redesign the systems and processes? Can you even have good culture without good systems? Or good systems without good culture?

92 votes