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Letter from the Editor
Letter from the Editor
Caroline Scotter Mainprize
3 min read
Structures, stories, shared beliefs, rituals and routines: all organisations have them. They add up to a collective sense of what the organisation is, what sort of personality it has, and how people are expected to behave: that is, the organisational culture, ‘the way we do things round here’.
The culture may or may not have any connection with the ‘core values’ signed off by the leadership team, and it may help or hinder strategy implementation and performance. Understanding and managing the culture is crucial to the success of the organisation, but it cannot be imposed from the top. It takes someone with an acute understanding of human nature; who can relate easily to people at all levels and all parts of the organisation; who sees clearly and thinks critically; and who has the diplomatic skills to call out behaviour that does not contribute positively to the culture. Someone, in fact, very like the chief of staff.
However, the chief of staff is not the Chief Culture Officer: they can neither be 100% responsible for culture nor dedicate 100% of their own time to managing it. In this People and Culture issue of the Chief of Staff Journal, therefore, we have concentrated our attention on those aspects of culture where the chief of staff is uniquely placed to make a difference, and additionally on some ideas that can help them in the culture-focused parts of their role.
Our featured article comes from Jon Heit, who kicks off with an article looking at one of the biggest cultural challenges that any organisation ever faces – a merger or acquisition. He was working for cybersecurity company Mandiant when it was acquired by Google, and he describes some of the unexpected problems that emerged together with ways they developed to resolve them.
Two experts in culture introduce some new ways of thinking that may resonate. Rachel Pacheco, author of Bringing up the Boss, suggests replacing the idea of ‘culture’ with ‘community’. David Byrum from culture change consultancy Human Synergistics uses a lily pond as a metaphor to examine exactly where and how the chief of staff contributes to managing culture.
Mike Jernigan, Director of the Chief of Staff Association’s mentorship programme, delves deeper into the question of what makes a culture an asset or a vulnerability. And member Jennifer Symondson discusses how the common problem of siloed organisations can be addressed by adopting a programme management instead of a project management mindset.
Culture also has an impact on how organisations approach other challenges, such as the risk of cybercrime – an issue that is increasingly challenging for CEOs and therefore also for their chiefs of staff, where they have one. I take a look at some recent research on how CEOs create cyber resilient cultures, and suggest areas where the chief of staff is able to make an important contribution.
Broad, systemic problems that contribute to growing crises such as financial crises, pandemics, and, largest of all, the climate emergency are discussed by Professor Colin Mayer in his latest book, Capitalism and Crises. We were lucky enough to enjoy a preview of the content when Colin contributed to the Chief of Staff Executive Education Programme at the University of Oxford in November 2023, and two participants in that programme have contributed their reviews of this book.
We profile Rose Wachuka Macharia, Chief of Staff to the Office of the Chief Justice & President of the Supreme Court of Kenya, and follow the career decisions and opportunities that led her to this role. Our second profile is of Hope Errico Wisneski, who combines being Chief Operating Officer at Raise the Future, a US-based child welfare organisation, with running HEW Strategies, her own consultancy.
We hope you enjoy reading this issue of The Chief of Staff journal and share it with colleagues and friends who may be interested. Our next issue will focus on the central relationship of all chiefs of staff – that with the principal.
Author Bio
Caroline Scotter Mainprize
Chief Editor
Caroline is a writer, editor, and communications advisor, working mostly for organisations involved in research and education. Clients have included Oxford University Press, Saïd Business School, Bayes Business School, and the international development and publishing organisation CABI. She has edited a number of books, annual reports, and journals, and written practitioner-focused research reports, including Oxford’s The Museum Leaders Report and Understanding Chief Digital Officers.Before freelancing she was responsible for the corporate communications at Oxford University Press. She had previously worked for a London PR consultancy and as a journalist on a business newspaper.
