Company Culture
What is culture? The definition for the word "culture" in the Oxford English Dictionary sums it up well:-
"refined understanding of another human intellectual achievement".
Culture is all about how humans interact, how we behave with each other. Remember the old saying; "behaviour breeds behaviour"? A positive, inspiring culture must be displayed at the highest level of management within the company; this will encourage employees to follow their example.
An organisation with a positive culture will consist of performance driven employees who thrive on integrity, respect one another, strive to achieve results, continually deliver a high quality of customer care, have a fair work / life balance, and who truly believe in the company vision.
This is not always easy to achieve but stepping stones can be implemented to assist you in reaching your end goal:
- Look, listen and learn; spend some time in different areas of your business to assess how your employees currently behave
- Determine how you would like them to behave in the future and define the culture you want to achieve
- Communication is key; involve your employees in developing core company values and/or a company mission statement
- Share your company vision; if your employees understand what you are aiming towards they can work with you to achieve it.
Below are some examples of company culture:
- Family Orientated Culture - This culture is usually quite flexible and has an internal focus with a very friendly approach to the business, like an extended family. The leaders are considered mentors and parent figures. The organisation is held together through loyalty, tradition and high commitment. Emphasis is with the long term benefit of developing people and attaches great importance on morale. With this culture success could be based on sensitivity to customers and concern for people. A premium is placed on teamwork and participation.
- Hierarchy Culture - A very formalised and structured place to work with procedures that govern what people do. This culture has an internal focus and very disciplined and coordinated. The leaders pride themselves on being good organisers with efficiency in mind. Formal rules and policies hold the organisation together and the long term focus is on stability and performance. Success is defined in terms of dependable delivery, smooth scheduling and low cost.
- Innovative/Entrepreneurial Culture - A dynamic and creative place to work where people take calculated risks. This culture would be considered flexible with an external focus and the leaders would be considered innovators and risk takers. Commitment to be innovative and an emphasis to be at the leading edge fits tightly within this culture. Success means gaining unique new products and services. The organisation encourages individual initiative and freedom.
- Market Culture - A results orientated organisation whose major concern is with getting the job done where people are competitive and goal orientated. This culture has an external focus with a discipline and co-ordinated structure. The leaders are hard drivers, producers and competitors who are tough and demanding. Reputation and success are common concerns and the long term focus is on competitive actions and achievement of measurable goals and targets. Success is defined in terms of customer satisfaction. Competitive pricing and market leadership are important.
Our HR team can spend quality time with your employees and gain an impartial view on your existing culture. We can then build a strategy and work with you to implement the stepping stones to create your own company culture.
