There is a lot of talk these days about creating a coaching culture, but what does it mean? What do people learn at work? How can an organisation learn from surprising situations? Does the force of necessity help people to develop their work culture? And how should modern government work respond to changes in society?
The State Treasury’s Work Culture Pod (Työkulttuuripodi) is heading off with Henni to explore how a new kind of work culture is being built within Finnish central government organisations. The podcast examines how government agencies are transitioning from practices and management styles in which instructions come from above towards a coaching approach to work which is based on encouraging, asking, listening and experimenting. In the Working Culture Pod, we say goodbye to consultancy jargon and leave our civil servant hat on the rack.
Enthusiasm, motivation and results
New management styles and work models are too often introduced without considering why they are needed and, in particular, where exactly they are needed. The Work Culture Pod episodes present six different stories that speak of a way to reshape an organisation’s work culture in a coaching and learning direction. Through these examples, the aim is to encourage work communities and teams to examine changes in work and ways of doing work in an open-minded manner.
Developing a work culture is not a quick process, but rather requires pausing and rooting the habit of continuous development into everyday life. Work has become more diverse and more hectic in today’s society, and the range of tasks covered by employees has expanded. Critical information is no longer held only by managers, but rather is shared throughout the organisation. One question runs through all the podcast episodes: what kind of learning is needed right now?
“The importance of well-being at work and empathetic management was highlighted on many discussions. Whether the change relates to an external threat such as the coronavirus pandemic or war in Ukraine or to a problem prevailing within the organisation, the most important competence for a manager is to know their own team and understand how the work feels in these changed circumstances,” says Henni Purtonen from the State Treasury, who hosts the Work Culture Pod.
Anyone can promote a coaching and learning culture in their workplace
A coaching and learning work culture is a model for thinking, interaction and action which manifests as concrete activities in the daily work of a work community with its customers, stakeholders and colleagues. A coaching and learning culture is characterised by communal solving of work-related issues and an emphasis on the learning and development of the work community. Come join us in the Work Culture Pod episodes on a journey of learning and work culture renewal!
The episodes of the Work Culture Pod’s first production season are in Finnish. Would you like to listen to the podcast in English? Let us know, and we can possibly make episodes in English in the future as well. You are also welcome to discuss the episode topics in social media using the hashtag: #työkulttuuripodi.
It is also worth visiting the VALOA website (in Finnish), which supports the development of a coaching and learning culture in central government. It provides work communities with tools for examining and developing their shared work and work culture. What does work look like in your work community, and how is it changing?
Further information:
Work Culture Pod: Henni Purtonen, Communications Specialist, tel. +358 (0)295 502 017, henni.purtonen(at)valtiokonttori.fi
VALOA website: Sari Virta, Head of Development, tel. +358 (0)0295 502 397, sari.virta(at)valtiokonttori.fi
