In our buzzword-crazy world the term “culture stack” has been gaining currency. It confers a gleaming 21st Century aura on a durable truism: that culture and values can make or break a venture as surely as technology; that principles are at least as important as processes.
There are lots of definitions of what “culture stack” really means. Which components comprise the layers of the stack: history, mission, brand identity, habit, governance, and many others. I came to the term in a simpler and less academic way. For me, it is simply the human counterpart to the all-important tech stack.
I was reading a recent Forrester study commissioned by Zeta Global, revealing that loyalty program data, while one of any brand’s most valuable assets, remains widely under-utilized. Not surprisingly, the implication of the study is that with the right tools, i.e., those offered by the companies across the Zeta enterprise, the power of your previously un-integrated and under-analyzed data will be magically unlocked.
To be fair, I’ve no doubt Zeta’s capabilities are industry-leading, and would probably add great value for many marketers. But when I read the findings, it seems to me that the culture stack is at least as responsible as the tech stack for the failure of many companies to realize the potential of their data.
Many of the usual suspects are cited as “barriers to leveraging loyalty data,” including lack of integration, inadequate technologies, and poor data quality. But nearly half the respondents – 48% – point to organizational silos. Many identify limited resources, and a full 25% say an unclear business case is one of the key barriers.
An organization that maintains silos, fails to commit appropriate resources, and cannot clearly define their business goals needs a culture audit, not a tech audit. And it needs strategic and communications solutions, not merely better technology.
When marketers explore loyalty and engagement programs, our first question isn’t, “How effective is your tech stack.” It’s always, “Why?” Because no tools can overcome the handicap a company gives itself if it fails to identify their business needs and goals, ensure alignment on those goals, commit an appropriate level of resource (both internal and external), and consistently champion the strategies and tactics needed to achieve them.
Lewis Carroll wrote, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” So set your goals, socialize them, chart your path first. Only then will today’s sophisticated technologies help you get there.