Defining Organizational Culture
Organizational culture at its core, embodies the shared values, beliefs, behaviours, and norms that influence the way an organization’s employees interact with each other and approach their work. It is one of the most important building blocks for a successful company as the sum of values and rituals serves as the glue to integrate the employees of the company. Organization culture is often described as the personality of the organization, the invisible hand that shapes behaviour over time.
Organizational culture is manifested in a multitude of ways, such as leadership styles, communication methods, and the way an organization responds to challenges and successes. It is as unique as the organization itself, stemming from the company’s history, mission, leadership, and the industry within which it operates. It is an intangible, yet powerful force that guides day-to-day operations and long-term strategies as it reflects a company’s expectations and philosophy and the experiences of the employees and leaders within it, which often determines the company’s future direction.
Why Organizational Culture is Important
The importance of organizational culture is immense as it impacts the way a business functions and how it’s perceived by employees, customers, and stakeholders. The first step in creating a sustainable culture is to establish clear and meaningful values which should be more than just words on a page or on a poster board on the wall, it should be the principles that guide all decisions, behaviours, and interactions within the organization.
Employee engagement: A positive and inclusive organizational culture is driven by purpose and clear expectations, which fosters a sense of belonging among employees and enhances their engagement and productivity. It is hard to ignore a positive atmosphere when there is a strong connection to an organization and its people.
Employee retention: Happy employees, who feel valued and respected at a company are less likely to leave, thereby reducing turnover rates and associated costs.
Attracting talent: A strong, positive, and high-performance culture can help a company attract top-tier talent. Prospective employees are often drawn to companies that align with their own values and provide a positive, supportive work environment.
Decision-making: An organization’s culture helps to improve workflows and guide decision-making processes and influence risk-taking, innovation and competitiveness which determines on how the company responds to changes in the business environment.
Reputation: A well-defined, positive organizational culture can significantly contribute to the reputation of a business. In an increasingly conscious market, a company known for ethical conduct, sound business practices and corporate social responsibility can gain an edge over its competitors.
Effective on-boarding: Onboarding and ensuring employees have access to the right resources is a great way for companies to ensure new employees understand the core values of their business, as it promotes employee longevity and loyalty and reduces the amount of frustration some employees could experience when they unsure as to the expectations of the company on how to perform their duties.
Healthy team environment: Organizational culture assists teams overcome barriers of ambiguity and team members who are informed and knowledgeable about certain processes are often more motivated to finish projects, as having a clear culture that unifies employees and promotes organized work structures assists employees in working together with purpose.
The principles of organizational culture
The principles of organizational culture provide a framework for understanding, shaping, and nurturing the culture within an organization of which the specifics could vary depending on the organization’s unique circumstances and objectives. There are various principals a company can adopt and implement and as such each organization will need to define its own unique set of principles based on its mission, values, goals, objectives, industry, and circumstances. There are some common principles that underpin most organizational cultures and implementing these principles requires ongoing effort and attention, as organizational culture is not static but evolves over time.
Some principals that could be applied
Shared Values: Acknowledges that a strong organizational culture is built around a core set of shared values which guide the actions and decisions of all the companies’ employees, from top-level executives to entry-level. These shared values help to create a sense of purpose and direction, fostering unity and cohesion within the organization.
People-Centric Approach: Underscores the importance of viewing employees not just as workers, but as vital assets of the company. An effective organizational culture nurtures and values its employees, recognizing their contributions and promoting their personal and professional growth, embracing diversity and inclusion, ensuring their employees that they matter and that they belong.
Leadership Involvement: Leadership plays a critical and vital role in shaping, influencing, and setting the tone for an organizations culture. Leaders not only establish the vision and values of the organization, but they also model those values through their actions and behaviours, in leading by example.
Consistency: Is a key principle of organizational culture and it assists in maintaining a stable culture that is consistent in its values and behaviours, despite changes in personnel or external circumstances. It helps to build trust and loyalty among a company’s employees, as they know what to expect and what is expected of them.
Adaptability: Companies need to be adaptable in the face of change. As markets, technologies, and societal norms evolve, so too must the organization’s culture adapt and change for the organization to remain competitive and relevant over time.
Communication: Good communication is a foundational principle of any strong organizational culture as it promotes transparency, understanding, and collaboration to ensure that company employees understand the organization’s values, goals, and expectations.
Recognition and Reward: A strong organizational culture recognizes and rewards the correct behaviours and performances of their employees as not only does it motivates them but also reinforces the behaviours and attitudes that are valued within the organization. Regularly acknowledge and reward employees who exemplify the culture as not only does it motivates individuals but it also encourages others to do the same.
Strong vs. Weak Organizational Culture
The strength of an organization’s culture is gauged by the extent to which its employees embrace and uphold its values and norms.
A strong organizational culture is marked by a shared understanding of the organization’s goals and values which is characterized by consistent, predictable behaviour that aligns with the organization’s mission. Employees that are committed to a company’s objectives feel a strong sense of identity which ensures unity and commitment that can drive high performance and contribute to the organization’s success.
A weak organizational culture lacks a shared understanding of values and goals, resulting in negative behaviour across the organization that could be inconsistent, unpredictable, and sometimes counterproductive. Employees may feel disconnected from the organization’s mission, leading to decreased commitment and productivity which could also foster conflict and reduce overall efficiency.
Impact on the Business Bottom Line
The culture of an organization has a direct and substantial impact on its bottom line.
- Performance: A strong organizational culture promotes a high level of performance among employees which drives innovation, efficiency, productivity, and improved customer service, leading to increased revenue and profits.
- Retention and recruitment costs: A positive organizational culture can reduce recruitment and training costs by retaining top talent and attracting high-quality candidates. Conversely, a weak organizational culture could lead to high employee turnover rates, which can be financially draining as it increases the recruitment, training costs and onboarding costs.
- Risk and reputation management: An ethical, transparent organizational culture reduces the risk of legal, governance and ethical breaches, which could cause company reputational damage and financial losses.
- Change management: During periods of organizational change, a strong culture can serve as a stabilizing force, ensuring continuity and resilience, positively influencing each other to embrace the change. A weak culture, however can hinder change, leading to stagnation, lost opportunities, and the decline of revenue and profits.
Organizational culture is far more than just a trendy business term. It is a vital component of any successful business; an ongoing process that involves careful planning, constant reinforcement, and regular evaluation. It shapes how work is done, how employees communicate, work, and play as individuals, teams, and groups. A sustainable organizational culture is not achieved overnight; it requires ongoing effort, commitment, and adaptation, however, the benefit of increased productivity, improved business performance and employee satisfaction make it well worth the effort. The most important thing about organizational culture is that anyone can copy a company’s strategy, but nobody can copy the company’s culture.
