Any products to help with Cultural Debt?

Question

'CULTURAL DEBT'.

Accruing these debts is not only natural but sometimes important. However, while trying to infuse speed into decision making and scaling teams or operations, there has to be an awareness that you are accruing the debt and you need checkpoints from time to time. The net velocity of growth should not be hindered by speedy decisions that end up scattered and directionless.

Are there any products targeted at setting up communication and feed back loops and tracking resentment in employees  or customers with honest feedbacks from platforms like Glass Door and G2? Or should I just hold a 'vent it out' session?

Dimitris Karavias · Accepted Answer

Cultural debt is a great term!
Remember what caused it: Taking shortcuts.
I think that relying on any tool is a shortcut. You won't fix the problem by repeating the cause.
Instead you need to personally invest the time, energy, & courage needed. Of course a tool can help quantify some metrics but humans are not only metrics.
The conversations you have will be uncomfortable and you need to decide how much you can handle. But ultimately you will need to take it on the chin and build personal bonds with your team.
Source: I'm realising I've accrued Cultural debt in just 6 months and I'm now taking similar steps to address it.

Katerina · Answer

Great comment. Kona might be a solution. As it is a human problem, it might require a human solution ? Doing a 'vent it out' session is only going to help if you do something with the information you get.

Aditi Gupta · Answer

@katerinabohlec Thanks Katherine, Will checkout Kona. It is a human problem  indeed, but I am looking at aiding this with data checkpoints and metrics. People don't speak up in person especially within an organisation. If I could keep a tab of  the exiting profiles and build a feedback loop for new hires  and the hiring teams and centralise this data with the HR department and leadership I would be able to deal with the problem better.

Katerina · Answer

@new_user_314d2213c0 Yeah, I wish more data would be used to support people-related decisions. I teach a data-driven course to HR managers (part of a master's degree) and the recurrent feedback we get is "this is different".

You mention "People don't speak up in person especially within an organisation". Do you refer to employees being concerned about speaking up/ voicing their ideas/being honest with leaders/decision-makers?

AndrewBordling · Answer

Cultural debt has a different meaning for everyone. For me personally, cultural debt is indebtedness to other people or companies. I had quite a few debts in the past. Cultural debts, financial debts, and so on. I paid them all off thanks to Pacific Debt Inc https://nationalcreditfoundation... . They provided me with very qualitative help in the sphere of financing. Debt consolidation is probably the best thing ever invented in finance and credit. Without consolidation, I don't even know what would have happened to me in the future.

Any products to help with Cultural Debt?

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