What does company culture mean?
Every organisation comes with a unique culture, a set of agreed-upon values that govern the way the company does business. Some cultures grow with the company and others are laid out in the first draft of the business plan. Either way, it’s important that everyone involved—from senior leader to customer-facing employees—consistently operates by those values.
How well are your employees aligned with your company’s culture?
One good yardstick by which to measure this is, actually, a negative on—the rate of turnover and the departure of your best workers. If a star performer leaves occasionally and the rest of the workforce remains steady, it’s not necessarily a cause for concern. But if there’s a string of high-visibility departures, it could be a clear warning sign that employees aren’t aligned with your culture—and something needs to be done. How can corporate culture be changed?
Here are action steps you can take to form a stronger alignment between employees and your company culture:
Be transparent.
The word “transparency” gets tossed around a lot these days, but the concept has very real value when it comes to retaining and inspiring your best workers. In these uncertain times, it’s important to keep people informed about changes in the organisation, those already in the implementation stage and those being considered. The alternative—a workplace rife with suspicions, rumours, and guesswork about the future—is bad across the board, and certainly not in keeping with healthy workplace culture.
Take every opportunity to communicate with your team about organisational change, whether through email messages, all-staff meetings, one-on-one discussions, etc. Your employees can be trusted to support change when they understand what’s going on “behind the scenes.”
Draw upon your internal team leaders.
Most companies have within their workforce a handful of individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities. These employees should be viewed as “co-creators of change” or “opinion leaders,” writes BCBusiness—individuals who “make or break the client experience.” Draw upon these exemplary individuals “who model your desired performance” and find ways for them to inspire co-workers and build cultural alignment from within.
Hire for a cultural fit.
When a new position opens up, naturally you want to hire an individual with the skills and experience needed to fill that role. But larger considerations should be addressed, as well. If your company values collaboration, for example, it’s not necessarily good to hire a person whose background clearly indicates that he or she likes to “go it alone.” They might not align well with your culture.
As part of the interview process, ask questions of every individual about organisational culture, particularly their views on cultural elements already in place in your company. Your decision could be influenced by how they answer those questions.
Honour and celebrate examples of cultural alignment.
When an employee or team performance leads to a significant milestone—and that performance grows out of your company’s culture—make a big deal out of it.
Honour those involved in a public setting, but also promote their story in your written and online communications. Framing the achievement in a culture-supporting narrative lets everyone else in the company better understand the values you uphold. It’s also important as a way of sharing this news with potential job candidates who want to learn more about your culture before applying for a position.
Organisational culture is an intangible element in a company’s success. But it’s unquestionably a key element, one worthy of every leader’s time and attention. Defining and managing cultural alignment “is crucial to creating a healthy environment for employees to remain engaged,” notes Forbes, “inspiring performance, organically attracting the best talent and driving high profitability.”