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\nSummary.<\/b> Company culture is used to describe the shared values, goals, attitudes, and practices that make up the personality of a company. Creating a company culture relies on how you define work culture and your company\u2019s process of creating a positive work environment.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
Company culture is a popular buzzword in corporate environments, used to describe the overall feeling of working within an environment at a specific business. Company culture can make or break your business. A strong culture has the potential to improve employee retention rates, boost morale and productivity, and attract top talent to your organization.<\/p>\n
Because company culture is such a broad term, it can be difficult to understand how to create and foster a good company culture. It\u2019s important to understand that good company culture starts at the top, with the leadership team. Though this concept seems fluid, it\u2019s possible to manage your company culture and facilitate and nurture something great.<\/p>\n
Key Takeaways:<\/b><\/p>\n
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According to a Glassdoor survey, \u201c56% of workers ranked a strong workplace culture as more important than salary, with more than three in four workers saying they\u2019d consider a company\u2019s culture before applying.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Harvard Business Review identified eight different styles as they refer to company cultures, including caring, purpose, learning, enjoyment, results, authority, safety, and order cultures.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Your company culture impacts your business performance and has a direct effect on finances, employee retention, innovation, productivity, and customer service.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What Is Company Culture?<\/h2>\n
At the core, company culture<\/a> is the cumulation of your formal and informal systems, behaviors, and values within your organization. It\u2019s the experience your employees have while working in your business and is often something felt, even by people external to the business. Company culture is sometimes defined as the personality of your business.<\/p>\n
If you already have a thriving business and are looking to define your company culture, consider having conversations with your existing employees or surveying them to understand how they define the company culture. Culture is experience-based and shouldn\u2019t rely on things like employee perks like vacation time or other policies.<\/p>\n
Your company culture impacts your business performance. It has a direct effect on finances, employee retention<\/a>, innovation, productivity, and customer service. According to a Glassdoor survey, \u201c56% of workers ranked a strong workplace culture as more important than salary, with more than three in four workers saying they\u2019d consider a company\u2019s culture before applying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Different Types of Company Culture<\/h2>\n
Company culture is such a broad term and is used to define a wide variety of different company cultures. Harvard Business Review has identified eight different styles as they refer to company cultures. When defining your own culture<\/a>, consider which types resonate most with your business and the goals you are looking to achieve.<\/p>\n
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Caring culture.<\/b> Caring culture places a heavy emphasis on relationships and trust. These environments should be welcoming and collaborative, filled with support for your fellow employees. This fosters loyalty, teamwork, and positive relationships within your teams.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Purpose culture.<\/b> Purpose culture is perfect for teams looking to achieve a common goal, such as sustainability or philanthropic endeavors. By encouraging your teams to work towards a common good, employees become united by their drive to contribute to a cause greater than themselves.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Learning culture.<\/b> Sometimes called innovative culture, learning culture focuses on creativity and exploration with inventive and open-minded work environments<\/a>. This is a great culture for start-ups or creative environments. Leaders should encourage and reward innovation, knowledge, and taking risks.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Enjoyment culture.<\/b> As its name suggests, enjoyment culture focuses most on ensuring the work environment is a fun and exciting place to be. Leadership should place a heavy emphasis on employee satisfaction and lead teams with playfulness and a good sense of humor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Results culture.<\/b> Typically data-driven and outcome-oriented, results culture focuses on goals of achievement. Employees are typically united in the drive to achieve goals and be successful, outperforming their competitors in every endeavor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Authority culture.<\/b> Authority cultures create competitive work environments in which employees are driven by personal advantage and accomplishments. Leadership teams often maintain heavy control over their teams, emphasizing strength and boldness.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Safety culture.<\/b> As its name suggests, safety culture focuses most on taking things slowly, having comprehensive plans, and being prepared. Work environments thrive on being predictable and risk-conscious. Employees and leaders alike will focus most on being prepared, having a plan, and working towards clear goals.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Order culture.<\/b> A culture that centers around order creates environments that are methodical. Employees are motivated by playing by the rules, structure, and company customs. Cooperation from all individuals at the company is essential for order culture to work.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How to Make a Company Culture<\/h2>\n
Now that we understand company culture more broadly, it\u2019s important to understand what steps to take to create the company culture of your dreams. Here are some steps to consider while creating your company\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n
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Decide what it looks like.<\/b> As demonstrated earlier in this article, company culture can look very different, depending on your business. Meet with your leadership teams<\/a> and determine what your ideal company culture looks like and what would work best for your organization and goals.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Ask for employee feedback.<\/b> Your employees are key to creating and maintaining successful company culture. Asking them for feedback is your best bet in creating something that resonates with your existing employees and ensuring your culture is nurtured.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Encourage work-life balance.<\/b> Work is important, but it\u2019s not the only piece of your employees\u2019 lives. Be sure you take care of your workers<\/a>. Employers who ensure their employees are healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually will find their business to be more effective and productive.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Provide clear expectations.<\/b> A big part of employee satisfaction is ensuring they understand what goals they\u2019re working towards. Employees must understand what the company requires of them for them to feel accomplished and appreciated. Providing those clear expectations fosters a healthy and transparent culture.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Consider culture during hiring.<\/b> Though there are many things that make up your perfect candidate, to keep a great culture, consider hiring for culture first. Be sure you have a diverse workforce and that your new hires are a good fit with your existing culture and team.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Highlight achievements.<\/b> Sometimes when businesses move too fast, they forget to call out employee achievements and only discuss concerns with employees. A key component of employee satisfaction and maintaining good culture is recognizing their achievements and rewarding them with something special.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Remind employees what they\u2019re contributing to.<\/b> All employees want to feel that their work means something and that they\u2019ve made a difference in some way, shape, or form. Be sure to continuously remind employees of the importance of what they\u2019re working towards and how their contributions are doing something positive.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Encourage relationship building.<\/b> To foster a positive culture, employees should be encouraged to build positive relationships<\/a> with each other. This can be done during work hours or by coordinating something outside of the office, like a work dinner, happy hour, sporting events, or even competitions at work.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Making a positive company culture is essential to your employees\u2019 satisfaction at work. You\u2019ll better retain your teams if they are happy in their role and feel like their needs and values match with the employers.<\/p>\n
How to Make a Company Culture FAQ<\/h2>\n
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How do you create a good culture in the workplace?<\/b><\/p>\n
There are a few different ways to create a good culture in your workplace. First and foremost, you have to be clear on what you\u2019re looking to accomplish and how your company culture plays a part.<\/b> Set goals and be clear in your expectations to employees, so they understand what they are working towards.<\/p>\n
Take care of your employees and ensure they feel supported and like they have a good work-life balance. Promote diversity<\/a> and inclusivity between your teams with a heavy emphasis on respect.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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What makes a company culture strong?<\/b><\/p>\n
The best way to ensure you have a strong company culture is to prioritize communication above all things.<\/b> Stay committed to open and effective communication between teams, managers, and employees, and most importantly, between leadership teams and the rest of the company.<\/p>\n
To foster a strong culture, be sure you build an environment where questions and communication<\/a> are encouraged and not silenced. Your employees should feel comfortable and confident communicating ideas, thoughts, and opinions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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What is the ideal company culture?<\/b><\/p>\n
The ideal company culture depends on your business, leadership team, industry, and the rest of your workforce.<\/b> Ideally, your company culture should focus on employee success and happiness, and customer satisfaction. Whatever the culture looks like to enable this across your business is the ideal culture for you.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
References<\/h2>\n