Does Company Culture Matter?

The answer lies in your answers to the following questions:

• Does it matter how your employees interact with your customers?
• Does it matter how your employees work with each other?
• Does it matter how the leaders of your company lead?

It’s all in the HOW … how we show up .. how we go about doing our business .. how we behave.

Research demonstrates that in today’s competition for talent, culture is key. People will choose an employer with a positive culture over one with a negative one. We’ve all seen places, and maybe worked in them, where the culture is awful. People gossip and whine, back-stab and politic. And we’ve seen businesses, and maybe been lucky enough to work in them, where the culture is awesome. People are smiling, working well together with a sense of harmony and peace, they are upfront and transparent and they share enthusiasm about the company, its mission and vision.

Culture exists whether we define it or not. It is the cumulative effect, the sum total, of how each and every employee acts, day in and day out inside and outside of the company. Without attention, culture is fragmented, reflecting the myriad of different values of the people within your company.
Being INTENTIONAL about company culture is a game-changer. Identifying what values are most important and then intentionally building a culture that reflects these values will transform your business.

How then does one go about building a desired culture?

At Pedelty we help clients through the process of a systematic approach to creating a powerful living testimony to the values of your company. Values are the core of culture. When the behavior of an organization’s people consistently reflects these values, it is a healthy company able to realize its vision by successfully reaching the goals it establishes.

Step one is define the values. This is where many businesses end their value-related activities, forming statements of mission, vision and values, printing them on a few posters, presenting them at an all-employee meeting or rolling them out in an email blast to all employees and showcasing them on websites. The end. And then they wonder why nothing has changed.

Step two, define the behaviors that model the values. What actions and behaviors model the company’s values? Document these. Be thoughtful about how people can demonstrate these values as they do their jobs. If the values are core to culture, behaviors are the life-line – the living proof that the values matter.

Step three, communicate the company values and the behaviors that support them. Take steps one and two, and this is key, never stop communicating them. Be sure every employee has an easy reference to the values, at hand, every day. Kick-off meetings by reviewing them; better yet, kick-off each day with them. Communicate through ongoing conversations about job performance and how it relates to company values. Every chance to highlight them, do so. Emails. Meetings. One-on-one conversations. Everyday.

Step four is alignment of your talent with the selected values. Leaders need to work with their teams and the individual members of their teams to communicate what the values are and create a shared understanding about how each person can demonstrate the values in their individual and collective roles. It is especially important to use the values in screening for new employees. You want to offer positions to candidates who demonstrate that their personal values match with your company’s values. It is difficult to influence people who have formed a different set of values in their lives and convert them to your company’s way. It is far easier to hire people who already possess shared values.

Step five, repeat steps three and four, forever. Communicate, coach, mentor, model and hold people accountable to the values and behaviors. Accountability is especially important. A company that says its values are important and then retains leaders and workers who demonstrate behaviors in conflict with its values will not succeed in creating the desired culture. This is when it gets tough. Are you willing to put your actions where your words are and work with those who do not behave in concert with your values and help them see the company is not a match for them? Tolerating bad behavior is one of the most demoralizing actions a leader can take. You must be willing to expect complete compliance with the desired values and behaviors, no exceptions.

Take these steps, do them consistently, and your company can reap the benefits of being intentional about its culture. Imagine how much easier it could be to hire and retain the right people when your company culture is reflected day-in and day-out in the behavior of all its employees. Where people don’t act from their egos or in silos, but work collaboratively in teams to achieve goals. Where people enjoy going to work because it is a pleasure to do their jobs. It may be hard work, but people are up to meeting the challenges because they can count on their peers and co-workers. It’s fun and it lifts people’s energy to work someplace where everyone operates with a shared mindset about how best to work together.