You probably heard of the statement or term “Company Culture” in a lot of blogs and articles involving human resources and if you’re a fan of reading a lot of entrepreneurial blogs leading to success online then perhaps you have encountered this word already a couple of times or so. At the end of the day let’s be honest to ourselves for a minute, after reading a dozen of those articles, do we have any clue or idea what it actually means and know what the underlying reason why is it such an important asset for any organization to consider?
The idea behind the derived term is that it is basically as the name the implies it to be, an organization’s unique way of interacting with the people; be it in the inside or outside of its four walls as long as they are bounded by their contracts they still represent the values and the reputation of their organization. It is one of those reasons why managers and organizations around the world are so hyped about their culture as the type of actions that their employees do can greatly reflect what kind of image the organization has.
Company culture also refers to what practices people in the organization do from the normal workday to handling pressure and stress when push comes to shove at times. How they deal with their tasks on a day to day basis and the type of attitude that they portray when these things are done. It is something that provides enthusiasm in the workplace and something that helps employees get things done from their end. Being in the workplace does not necessarily mean that it has to be a drag, you want your employees to go to work feeling that they truly want to be there and that they enjoy what they are doing, surrounded by a positive warm culture that they surely want to be a part of can seriously impact their performances.
With all of that being said, company culture still has its fair share of notable distinctive interpretations and explanations. One company’s definitions and approach to culture might be different from the other, but universally culture in a nutshell in the organization is one that unites the team and boosts the productivity and the environment of an individual in the working industry.
The diverse culture every organization has is acquired in due time; it is not to be taken lightly as it not an overnight process and sometimes it takes months or even years for this to be fostered and implemented well. A little bit of the trial and error phase to find which one works best for your organization. There will be some minor drawbacks and stumbles along the way when you are reaching and aiming for the goal of a good company culture, but bosses and employees must understand that company culture is built and strengthened when we are able to accept and take into consideration our indifference and when we are able to learn from our mistakes.
“Many times what we perceive as an error or failure is actually a gift. And eventually we find that lessons learned from that discouraging experience prove to be of great worth.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway
Little do the masses know but every work culture has different strategies or styles and most of the time it is very imminent in the correlation to productivity and how motivated workers are in the working environment. It is not a written set of rules that is engraved in stone but it is the basis of how your employees treat each other in the workplace and in the long run, your customers and potential clients that will be partnering with your organization. Not to mention the great talent your organization might entail in the market when they are able to hear about how good your company culture is. A win-win situation as the organization is increasing productivity while it is also a method of attracting great talents to work under your care.
There are a lot of articles online even saying that an effective company culture triumphs even over strategic company planning. With that being said, knowing how to implement and build a good company culture is something you should think of. So here are some elements you might want to try and consider when trying to build a good company culture.
Hiring People Who Will Fit Well in Your Culture
The first element to think about when building a good company culture is the people who you are working with or is under your care. Hiring and letting an employee inside an organization can be a very challenging task for anyone, it is a rigorous process but here where lies the problem ahead. Think about it for a minute, how can you expect to build a good company culture if you are surrounded by bad associates, people who have negative emotions hidden inside of them, and has this lack of productivity lingering around which can be a pull factor or start the tendency for less productivity in the office to occur. The people you and your employees are working with can seriously influence what each individual would feel, how the organization would approach things, and can actually disrupt the good flow of performance the office already has.
Let’s face the facts, in the modern world, diversity has become a way to rampant in whatever kind of industry to control but it is quite normal for employees to have their fair share of different personality types. The world isn’t perfect as we know and sometimes there will be conflicting points of interest and the occasional clash of personalities to occur in the office which can’t be helped. It is quite normal for the organization to have some employees who will have their own misunderstandings sometimes as it is inevitable but it is a totally different story when it spirals out of control and affects their performance or even worst, do some kind of severe damage to the company’s culture as a whole.
Hiring people who would fit with your company culture is a must if you want to create a place where productivity and the exchange of harmony are at its peak. One of the most predominant misunderstandings in the industry of today is that the top talent builds a great organization meaning it would start to create a good company culture, but here is the critical part to think about. Yes, you might have very talented employees under your care but what if they have bad personalities, how can you expect to build a good company culture or even get things or work done.
On the other hand if you know how to control and put together a team that each has a good personality trait to contribute, then think of the endless possibilities of excelling performance and growth to occur in the office. They will be able to complement each other’s strengths and help create a culture that will help highlight their capabilities and cover up their weaknesses.
“Ultimately, it’s on the company leaders to set the tone,” Cook told Fast Company. “Not only the CEO, but the leaders across the company. If you select them so carefully that they then hire the right people, it’s a nice self-fulfilling prophecy.” – Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
Knowing Good Ideas and Decisions Can Come from Anywhere and Anyone
High ranking decisions and contributions of necessary ideas in the organization always seem to have this hierarchy or pyramid of power that has been established. To build a great company culture why not let other employees’ whatever position they may be in the organization share and contribute their fair share of ideas and suggestions during meetings.
You might think that just because their ranks or positions are lower than you then their suggestions don’t matter at all that much and quite irrelevant from yours. You will be surprised at how much good ideas they can give out and what potential their ideas can do for a project. The exchange of ideas wherever or whoever it comes from can help you look at things from a different perspective and help you create better outcomes for the final product. Not to mention it will help you and your team create necessary adjustments that will help you learn and be better for the upcoming projects ahead.
One of the things that makes a good company culture is the implementation of having a fair and equal opportunity handed to one another. You would want to make each employee in the organization feel like they are truly part of the success of the company. It will make each employee strive for greater heights when you are able to appreciate their efforts in the team.
“Make sure everybody in the company has great opportunities, has a meaningful impact and is contributing to the good of society.” – Larry Page, CEO, Google
