7 reasons why organizational culture is important
Company culture is extremely important to the success and overall health of your company, your employees and your customers. Therefore, it’s a good idea to take the time to think about why your company culture is the way it is and why it’s important to keep it that way (or, conversely, to change it).
Let’s look at seven reasons why organizational culture is important:
1. it defines the internal and external identity of your company
Here’s a thought exercise: write down on a piece of paper five attributes that best describe your organization’s culture. You could write something like “good work-life balance,” or “lots of meetings,” or maybe “teamwork.”
Now take a few minutes to think about why each of these attributes is important to your organization in particular. Why is it important that your company has a good work-life balance? What makes these cultural attributes valuable to employees and customers?
Peter Ashworth explains that corporate culture “defines how your organization does business, how the team interacts with customers, colleagues, partners, suppliers, the media, and all other stakeholders.”
In other words, your organizational culture will be reflected in all aspects of your business because it reflects the way you do business. It is both your identity and your image, which means it determines how you are perceived by people and customers.
2. organizational culture is the embodiment of the company’s core values
Culture can reflect your company’s core values. How you conduct business, manage work processes, interact as a team, and communicate with customers all combine to provide an experience that should reflect who you are as an organization and how you think the company should operate. In short, culture is the sum of your company’s valid beliefs.
But if your values don’t align with your culture, that’s a problem. It could mean that your “core values” are a list of meaningless buzzwords, and your people know it.
A strong corporate culture supports your company’s core values in all aspects of its operations and organizational structure.
3. Your culture can turn employees into advocates (or critics)
One of the biggest benefits of a strong organizational culture is that it can turn employees into advocates.
Your people want more than a steady paycheck and good benefits; they want to feel that what they do matters. And when your employees feel like they’re doing something meaningful, they’re more likely to become advocates for your culture. They will not only contribute to your organization, but also promote and live it both internally and externally.
How to accomplish this? One way is to praise for good work. A culture in which individual and team successes are celebrated and praised when needed gives people a sense of accomplishment. And that’s one way to turn employees into your advocates.
4. A strong organizational culture helps retain the best employees
Not surprisingly, employees who feel part of a community rather than a cog in the wheel are more likely to stay with your company. In fact, that’s what most job seekers look for in a company.
Ask any top manager what keeps them in the company, and you’re sure to hear the answer: people. That’s because a people-oriented workplace culture is very attractive. It helps improve interactions among employees and provides them with unique experiences.
One way to attract outstanding employees is to hire those who fit your organization’s culture.
5. A well-functioning culture promotes adaptability
Organizational culture can also act as an aligning force in your company. This is especially true for new hires.
Your organization’s culture is essentially a driving force for them, so it’s important that it starts with adaptation.
In his article for Forbes, George Bradt explains, “People fail in a new job because of poor fit, poor adaptation to change in the future. Your adaptation program should address their needs (so they can do the job), assimilate them into the organization (so they are culturally appropriate), and accelerate their progress (so they can work and adapt).”
6. Your culture turns your company into a team
A successful organizational culture brings people together in a company and keeps them aligned. When yours is clear, different perspectives can come together for a common goal. Your organization’s culture sets expectations about how people behave and work together and how well they perform as a team.
In this way, culture can break down boundaries between disparate teams, guide decision-making, and improve workflow as a whole. On the other hand, a toxic organizational culture can do just the opposite.
7. Culture influences employee productivity and well-being
Research shows that organizational culture has a direct impact on productivity and, more importantly, the well-being of your employees. A healthy culture touches both of these areas, finding the right balance based on company values.
Paul Barrett sums it up beautifully, writing, “Employee well-being strategies can bring tremendous benefits to both employees and employers, but they must be implemented in the right way, for the right reasons, and at the right time. To be truly effective, they must be designed holistically, with a business culture that contributes to their success. This means favorable leadership behavior, flexible work options, and an open culture that allows employees to have a voice and some to influence the shaping of the work environment.”
Original article – https://bit.ly/31fUr7B
