Stagnation within Culture

Dr. Z, my professor for Organization and Administration of Adult Education challenged us with a statement about organizational culture and stagnation.  

From my own experience I find that a strong culture can squash innovation. At the non-profit organization where I work, there had been a steady, stable, state of affairs for many many years. 

Our organization got by and succeeded primarily by the fact that the location is across the road from dozens and dozens of refineries. Other non-profit safety councils aren't situated in such a lucky place for refinery safety training. Naturally we were created because of those refineries, but thanks to their growth over the years, our council has ridden a wave of their success. 

Lately however there have been demands that are pushing us as an organization to find new ways to work, and new technologies to keep up with. One or two competitors are pushing us, but also our own learning community is expecting more from us as they see what our society and culture can provide. If you're 18, and you've grown up with an iPhone in your hand, you expect apps, and reinforcement, and social media and more. Stodgy and boring are no longer acceptable and the culture that was created in years past, of excellent service and minimal improvements to the "menu of items" is not cutting it. 

The culture is slowly changing. Innovation is now the watch-word and goal. Managers and supervisors who may have enjoyed a sinecure before, now are being forced to change, adapt, achieve and overcome in ways that they are not used to. I think that the council had a culture that was self-reinforcing, but now forces are making that culture change. Five years ago, the statement Dr. Z makes above about "entrenched culture leading to organizational stagnation" may have been true, but in the last five years market forces have inspired the council to breakthrough the stagnation, and those outside the box opportunities are now being opened up to the team.