Do you want your business to succeed? Well, it is impossible without a good company culture. What is company culture? That's what I am going to talk about in the following blog post. I also want to show you how to define and describe company culture, introduce some words, and much more. Just stay with me. You won't regret it.
So the main question. Culture consists of many sides of your corporation. In one simple word, It is your personality. So let's define and make it easier to understand the concept of company culture. Someone's personality is a result of a mixture. A mix of behavior, way of thinking, values, beliefs, etc. Not nice to say, but people get judged by their personalities. So does culture affect the company? When we describe company culture, we are directly talking about values, ethics, and the company's place in the society.
Let's cut it. Company culture signifies all communication in your organization, in-house or cross-department. Policies and interaction with the public are also vital to building company culture, and standards may differ from industry to industry. Interestingly, 46% of job seeking people care about this trend a lot! But is it that necessary to have one? To describe company values to others? I'm talking about the whole idea.
Yes, it is. No exaggeration. Assume your company is a car. This car is on a road that leads to success. Your vehicle has some parts that keep it up. Right? I believe the company culture is the wheels of your car. Wheels are in charge to keep the automobile straight. They only move whenever the driver moves steer. They perform a discipline that keeps the car together. Discipline is the key and it is the same for company culture. A solid, well-defined company culture brings discipline to your corporation. When all parts of a system work correctly, the system works well too. In our example, you as the person in charge can make better decisions, interact with competitors and other brands in a defined way, take care of the general appearance of your business.
If you ask me, is it vital to have a company culture? My answer would be: Yes, sir. You should have a good one! I was working in a company a few years ago, in Asia. I joined them in the beginning and we had a fantastic start in the market. But there was no company culture at all. It was just on paper: "Building trust is our primary goal!" The biggest lie in the world. The managers made ammends in regulations to destroy the trust. Warranty covered almost nothing! In case of a problem, the product was out of guarantee services. Now you tell me, were we building trust or destroying it? After two years, the company was below zero! All the accomplishments burned in the fire of lack of company culture. Don't make the same mistake. Form a company culture and stick to it! Let me cite some benefits of it to reassure you.
First of all, accepting culture is more important than making it. What's the point of setting rules and neglecting them? So don't expect a forgotten culture to do anything for your success. Now let's get to the point. Let's list some benefits of company culture:
Another thing that you should consider is that company culture can reduce the costs for a company! Do you know why? About 63% of companies in the US say that retaining employees is more challenging than hiring new staff! Culture is the cure for this problem. It helps companies to keep their current employees satisfied. Thus, retaining them would be a more straightforward! Well, I talked a lot about the concept itself. Now is the time to get our hands dirty. I want to tell you how to make a company culture and describe your company values.
Pro tip first! Consider company culture as your company's first impression. How do you want to be? Do you want to be respected as a formal one or loved for being funny? Keep these questions back in your head and stay with me. To define and describe company culture, you should know every single objects that it consists of:
I know every business works to make money. But many organizations out there seek some goals beyond that! What's yours? Do you want to bring advanced technology to the world? Are you planning to provide the best customer service ever? Or maybe it is about high-quality manufacturing products. Your mission should not be less than a sentence and more than two paragraphs. The key is to keep it as short as possible. Now you are one step closer.
What values are in priority at your company? The answer to this question affects many sides of your business, including your company culture. For example, if you want everyone to remember your organization as a fun place full of laughing, making a fun workspace is your primary value. Here is a list of some common values between different companies and organizations:
Although most values above are so fascinating, as I said earlier, you should set priorities. Pick three and that's enough. Okay, you can pick four.
Your office mirrors your company culture. There is a problem if you try to provide a fun place, but your employees don't feel anything joyful. Remember that taking action is more important than just saying empty words. If you want to describe company culture in your workplace, pay more attention to design. It has a vital role. Ask an expert for help with color psychology. Blue walls are great for making a calm environment, but you may want to add red to make it exciting!
Configuration is essential too. It usually affects by the principles you are going to set. For example, if you decide your employees to participate, putting them in isolated cabins is unwise! Remove the walls for such workspaces, let people see each other.
Pro tip: Assume your employees will share a picture of your organization through their social media. Do they describe company values as you wish?
Another part of defining a company culture is about the interaction between team members. The culture defines whether they help each other to get to the common goal, or everyone should focus on their job. Your call! There are some common words that companies use to describe their culture. The following section is about those.
Let's get straight to the point:
Be the best or stay out of the way. Only people who put a lot of energy into the job can succeed. It may sound too difficult to fit in, but you will improve. Do you know how much pressure is needed for creating a diamond?!
Those lovely, warm, peaceable corporations. Companies with this culture provide a calm place that everyone can have a delightful working time. No pressure, so results might come in slower.
These companies make their employees partners! By giving them shares. Well, both sides benefit. The employees are motivated to put all of themselves in. Because if the company grows, their share will grow! The company is sure that employees are doing their best. Doubtlessly.
The principal value of these companies is enabling experts. They care about teaching and improving their employees, a lot! They hire interns and turn them into experts.
Achieving the goal is above everything in such organizations. Employees should accept cross-functionality when is needed. They must assist each others tasks to accomplish the final results. Another description of this culture is united.
Independent employees required. Each person is responsible for their duties. There is not such a thing as teamwork! Precisely the opposite of collaborative workspaces.
These companies are making future leaders. The people who are fine with an average job and no ambition will most probably not fit in.
When employees are proud of their work ethic and work hours, they form a grindstone culture. It is a culture where results matter. How much work did everyone get done?
Everyone is going forward at max speed. There is no time to rest or reorganize. If you take some time off, you'll be left behind.
There are a lot more out there. Choose the best that fits you. Now that you have defined your company's culture and you know some words too, it is time to spread the culture. In simple terms, describe company culture to your employees and also people out of it.
First of all, do it with enthusiasm. When you are not excited, you can't describe company culture as you should. Others must feel your passion. They should know that you believe in it. There was a small grocery store in our neighborhood when I was a child. The owner was Mr. Jefferson. He just woke up a day and made a big decision. He chose to grow as big as possible. And unbelievably, he did! Right now, he owns a large store full of different fruits and vegetables. But how? His former employees at the time claim he was super different the day he announced his decision. He made a speech full of confidence to his three workers. He tried to make them believe in the possibility of growth. Well, now we know he succeeds. That's why you should believe in your company culture and spread it with passion.
After that, you should try to change the old mindset of your employees. New changes are unwelcomed most of the time. But with passing the time, they will adapt. One other important thing is about getting feedback. Your employees know some things about your company that you don't know at all! Also, it is essential to clarify that you seek feedback. Let them talk to you freely. It is about how you treat each other. Describe your company values according to the culture you are going to spread.
Remember that growing affects culture. Consider it in your plans. When you describe company culture, you should start making policies to kick off the implement. Do not forget to provide valuable data about how influential company culture is. Many companies have questionable cultures that no one understands. Do not be one of them. What's the point of having a culture that none of your employees follow clearly?
Reminder: Following the rules defined by culture is more important than having one. That's all.
94% of entrepreneurs believe that company culture is necessary to accomplish success. 88% of job seekers think the same! But with all these convincing reasons, many organizations ignore the concept and fail! Do you want to be one of those? In the article above, I covered almost everything you should know about company culture. It is not that hard to define one and implement it. Describe company values to employees and especially to people out there. Care about rumors and try to defuse negative ones.
Good luck.
