Ask the CHCO: DoD’s Paige Hinkle-Bowles

In her interview with Federal News Radio for our Ask the CHCO series, Ms. Hinkle-Bowles shared some key areas of focus for the civilian workforce that support the DoD “Future Force” Initiative.

Described as opportunities to build, shape, and improve workforce performance to meet changing DoD mission needs, Ms. Hinkle-Bowles discussed how many of the challenges facing the department’s 900,000 civilians in recent years are currently or will be addressed in the near future.

As the interview concluded, I found myself wondering – how will DoD leaders address and link organizational culture to the Force of the Future Initiative or for that matter, any one of the supporting civilian workforce initiatives? For example, the long awaited performance management system, New Beginnings, or the functional community concept created to address workforce competency gaps, each have their own set of complexities that will require careful planning and working together to fully embed new practices into the fabric of DoD.

Why Culture Matters.

Any organization seeking to shift the strategic view of its workforce will increase its probability of success if viewed through a culture lens. Organizational culture is the “soul” of an organization that guides how people think and act. It is fundamental to achieving organizational goals, attracting and keeping people, and getting work done.

Everyone Has a Role in Transforming Culture.

When people in an organization recognize the current culture of an organization needs to transform to support its success going forward, only then will the needed change happen. This is the hardest step in culture change – because it takes time to internalize new patterns of thinking and acting – individually and organizationally.