There’s a lot of talk these days about corporate culture. Much of it is focused on how workplace cultures have changed because of the pandemic. It got me to thinking.
What’s culture all about, anyway?
Corporate culture is the feeling you get when you walk into an organization’s environment, whether that environment is physical or digital. It influences employees’ attitudes and behavior at work as well as your customers’ response.
Culture starts with the business owner who begins the conversation about values and expectations. While everyone in the organization is responsible for supporting and adhering to the culture, it is often managers who are charged with monitoring the culture and addressing problems when things go astray.
Think about culture as a sandwich that has three layers:
- Visible behaviors and objects – These are things that can be directly observed by people both inside and outside the organization
- Expressed values – Expressed values show up in corporate mission and vision statements, company communications and policies. These values may also be reflected in job descriptions and employment agreements.
- Underlying assumptions – Underlying assumptions are the expectations of how expressed values will show up in organizational behavior. This can be much more subjective than visible artifacts and expressed values.
A positive corporate culture enhances the relationships between management, employees, customers (Internal and External) and all stakeholders. Cultures are strongest when there is consistent buy-in across all levels of the organization.
Can you clearly define or describe your company’s culture? How closely do you think your description would match the description that your team or your customers provide?
Your company’s success is built upon the quality of your product or service and your perceived corporate culture. When your corporate culture is positive, apparent and demonstrated consistently, your organization will thrive.
And, like the Hokey Pokey – that’s what it’s all about.
Blessings,
Chris Ann Williams, CEO