Have you ever wondered why some companies are perceived as more successful than others? Product mix? Customer base? Leadership? While there are many reasons why some companies outperform others, it is increasingly clear that some success is tied to an organization’s “corporate culture.”
Culture is a set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterize a company or corporation. Every organization has its own unique culture. Most organizations don’t consciously try to create a certain culture. Rather, it develops naturally, based on the values of top management of the organization. What management pays attention to is often the strongest indicator of the organization’s culture. Their view of the organization’s culture is often based more on hope than grounded in objective fact. Culture drives the organization and its actions. It is somewhat like “the operating system” of the organization.
Why would an organization be interested in assessing its culture? If an organization wants to maximize its strategic objectives, it must understand whether the existing culture supports and drives the actions necessary to achieve goals. It allows you to identify the gap between the real and ideal culture. Here are some signs that your culture is in trouble:
- No clear belief about how to succeed
- Morale problems
- Complaints pertaining to communications
- Attrition greater than prior years
- Office politics
- Dissatisfied Customers/ Customer Complaints
So what can you do once you have recognized that your culture needs help? Create a vision that is embraced by everyone. Have a set of values and a way to define what those values are.
There needs to be two-way communication between management and employees to share and receive feedback on the corporate culture. Management must lead by example in changing the current culture. A plan should be in place to recognize and reward the activities that support and promote the corporate culture. Recognize that the current culture did not happen overnight and it will take time to change old habits.