I have always loved the idea that every organisation has its own culture and micro-climate, certainly, something we experience and engage with working with so many different clients.  In fact, it is one of the reasons I love working as a consultant.

I attended a great event recently and listened to the very engaging Gary Hollins and Nick Jenkins of ‘Wonder’ talk about defining a company culture and why we should bother to do this in our organisations.

It was a great reminder of how important it is to work on creating a supportive and appropriate culture for your organisation in a creative and strategic way, and how leaving it to chance can be problematic and detrimental for both your people and your business.

I thought in this month’s blog I would share some of their insights and my takeaways from their session.

Any HR professional will know that one of the first definitions you learn about when doing your professional qualifications is that organisational culture is described as “The way we do things around here”, a Deal and Kennedy quote from the 1980s.

But what exactly does that mean and what is included in the ‘ways’ we do things, and the ‘things’ we do around here?

Old Fashioned Company Culture (Filing Cabinet)

There are a number of things that come together and align to build a culture and it is the sum of those parts and how each one is dialled up or down that defines the cultural approach:

  • The way individuals and leaders behave and how that is managed,
  • The approach of the business leaders and how they do business,
  • Vision,
  • Values,
  • What the business does,
  • Brand reputation,
  • Corporate social responsibility and approach to business impact/footprint
  • Ways of working,
  • Policies and procedures in place and how they are managed,
  • Processes in place,
  • Custom and practice.

If we were to ask team members in an organisation generally what is it like to work there, their initial response would probably be to list some of the perks and benefits they receive, such as employee perks, team events, wellbeing initiatives etc.

On the surface, these can appear to be quite superficial and easy to provide and/or remove, but from a tactical perspective, these things are important.

However – culture runs much deeper and it’s clear that a layered, strategic view and approach is needed.

 

At Wonder they have continued to ask the question, “What do we really want from work?”, and observed how this has changed hugely over the last 20 years. 

From carrying out these cultural audits, they have identified that these are the things people now tend to want from work:

  • opportunities to learn and grow in their roles,
  • flexibility,
  • development opportunities and experiences,
  • to be rewarded fairly and appropriately,
  • autonomy and to be trusted to get on and do their job,
  • feeling they fit and that there is a truly diverse and inclusive environment
  • feeling valued for their contribution,
  • their employer having a moral compass and a sense of corporate social responsibility
  • transparent, open and meaningful communication.

Interestingly, these things will also differ depending on where individuals are on their individual life and employment journeys.

How and Where Does Culture Impact an Organisation?

One of the reasons it can feel difficult to work on and intentionally build a positive and aligned organisational culture is that it can feel difficult to identify where culture starts and finishes, or pinpoint where to focus your attention, efforts and resources.

Culture is intertwined and threaded through many parts of a business. It makes perfect sense that how team members experience your organisation and therefore, the culture of your organisation, is from the moment they apply for a role with your business. It starts with recruitment and runs throughout your employee lifecycle from entry to exit.

The following areas can all be considered as playing an important role in influencing and shaping a workplace culture:

  • The working environment
  • The behaviour of leaders and managers
  • How colleagues collaborate and share resources, knowledge, experiences and skills
  • How colleagues communicate with each other, their customers and other stakeholders
  • The social environment
  • How wellbeing is supported
  • How individuals are rewarded
  • Having proper processes, reviews and tools to set individuals up for success and ongoing career development

It’s important to consider the difference between letting a culture evolve naturally and intentionally building it.

When culture evolves without clear direction, it may lack consistent values and create disconnect. This can lead to confusion about the business’s objectives and purpose. Without alignment, different sub-cultures may emerge, making it harder to work toward shared goals.

On the other hand, an intentional culture fosters consistency and shared understanding among stakeholders. It ensures that organisational values are clearly defined, promoted, and embedded in various business processes. This drives positive behaviours and helps individuals and teams feel connected with the organisation’s purpose.

With a growth mindset, such a culture will grow alongside the business, as everyone is aligned and engaged in making the organisation a success.

Gary and Nick recommended three important questions that should be answered when beginning to develop an intentional culture:

  1. What does the business want?
  2. What do the people want?
  3. What does the business want from its people?
Metro_HR Interdepartment Company Culture

Culture in Practice and Implementation

There is also a big difference between developing some organisational values and putting them up on the wall in the office as a tick-box exercise, and actually bringing them to life in practice throughout the business.

In Wonder’s experiences, “the most successful businesses and cultures have values and people that can articulate them”.

Inflicting arbitrary words on the business won’t be as successful as when you work with leaders, managers and team members to co-create values that are important and meaningful. Then, with enhanced buy-in with everyone, you can implement and embed those values through the key areas of the business.

Understanding the different between values and behaviours and discussing that with your staff  is crucial. Remember that values inform behaviours and are much broader and become like tram lines to operate within. Whereas behaviours are specific and demonstrate the values ‘in action’.

Behaviours can be clearly seen, evidenced and measured, and there is more scope to flex behaviours to adapt to different situations.

Creating values and mapping desired behaviours is just the beginning of creating a culture; it doesn’t make them instantly part of the organisation’s fabric.

Many organisations overlook the fact that defining values is just the start of the process, the foundation to build upon, and not the finish line. Consistent messaging and sustained effort are essential to truly integrate these values into the culture.

Embedding values and shaping a culture requires ongoing, intentional effort. This process requires a consistent, considered, engaging approach and will take time – often at least 12 – 18 months to really make things stick.

Why Should We Bother With Culture Development?

Friendly Culture, Happy Employees

A positive, healthy culture benefits both the people and the organisation.

As more people consistently demonstrate great behaviours, momentum builds. Employee retention will stabilise, absenteeism decreases, and individuals feel engaged, motivated, and willing to put in extra effort.

When individuals are motivated and engaged, results will improve, and personal and professional growth flourishes. This growth strengthens the business and builds a positive employer brand, that will attract and help to retain top talent. This provides the organisation with a greater competitive edge overall.

In contrast, the symptoms of a toxic culture can show up as hiring challenges, high turnover, low retention, frequent absenteeism, disengagement, presenteeism, and “quiet quitting.” Other signs include high levels of complaints, disciplinary actions, and costly performance improvement plans. All very costly and time-consuming!

So, all things considered, it seems to be a no-brainer to be more intentional about developing great cultures!

Top Tips for Implementing an Intentional Culture:

  • Be very clear with your management teams and individuals on the need for change and the improvements that can be realised.
  • Initiatives must start and be led, and consistently applied from the top.
  • Involve your people – invite contribution and encourage co-creation, ask opinions, make individuals feel their input is meaningful and valued, and feedback and communicate during the process.
  • Appoint a dedicated resource/person to own the plan as a dedicated owner to increase accountability and ensure the plan is taken seriously and rolled out consistently and in a timely way.
  • Plan for returns on investment to take time to be realised. It will cost time and money and returns may not be instant.
  • Communication and clear activation plans are critical.
  • Be prepared if needed to make some difficult decisions, often around people.
  • It is not a quick fix, it takes time and sustained effort and communication to make it stick and realise changes. It should be a working project and should be given 12-18 months minimum to activate and consistently apply.

Taking an intentional and focused approach to building a great place to work and an environment in which individuals want to work is clearly rewarding and realises many benefits for an organisation.

If you want to talk about the culture in your organisation and how you can start the process of thinking about how to turn the culture, get in touch.

One of the greatest tests of an organisational culture is when things get tough. How people pull together and go above and beyond proactively is incredible to see, and very telling.

Facing challenges with building a strong company culture? Arrange a call and we can offer comprehensive HR support and guidance.

Book your free 30-minute consultation now
Relaxed employee - strong company culture

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