Cultivating a Strong Workplace Culture

Culture plays a crucial role in an organization’s success. People drive a company, so their satisfaction should be a high priority for business leaders.

Recent research from Microsoft revealed a positive workplace culture is the most important factor for employees, with 46% listing it as very important.?

According to research from Gallup , a positive corporate culture yields the following organizational benefits:

• Easier ability to attract employees
• Higher retention rates
• Improved productivity
• Improved employee wellbeing and safety
• Enhanced diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Better customer satisfaction

Improving your culture is easier said than done, however. It involves more than just offering free snacks and coffee.

In this edition of Leadership Lab, learn how leaders can cultivate a positive culture in the workplace.?

5 Things Leaders Can Do Now to Create a Positive Workplace Culture

An organization often has existing implicit beliefs and behaviors. This means that for leaders hoping to improve company culture, HR policies aren’t enough .?

Here are five things leaders can do to cultivate a positive corporate culture:?

1. Cultivate Curiosity

Many executives feel obliged to provide the answer and show ‘leadership’. However, the best form of leadership—particularly in times of ambiguity—may be to ask questions and listen with curiosity.

As an example, Toyota has maintained a lead over auto manufacturers, not by inventing kanbans and lean production, but by maintaining a culture of humble learning—of curiosity—that’s embedded in the Toyota Way .

In an article written for Harvard Business Review (HBR), Teamraderie Experience Host and Harvard Business School Professor Francesca Gino speaks to the importance of curiosity at work.?

“When our curiosity is triggered, we think more deeply and rationally about decisions and come up with more creative solutions,” says Francesca.

Here are six ways to cultivate curiosity on your team, according to HBR :?

• Clarify the problem: Ask questions and seek to discover the problem’s scope before finding solutions
• Let your colleague speak without interruption: Empower employees to own their own story
• Defer judgment: Remain open to hearing other possibilities or perspectives
• Take note of your emotions without suppressing them or letting them derail the conversation
• Avoid minimizing others’ emotions, ensuring they feel heard and understood rather than invalidated?
• Practice active listening, seeking to learn and hear from others

Read more: Why the Best Gift You Can Give Your Team Is…Curiosity?

2. Promote Psychological Safety

Psychological safety —the ability to communicate and share ideas without fear of humiliation or punishment—is important for organizational success.

Ingraining psychological safety into your corporate culture can result in:

• Better decision-making
• Healthier group dynamics
• Increased innovation
• Improved organizational performance

Despite these benefits, however, research from McKinsey shows that only 26% of leaders create psychological safety for their teams.

“Psychological safety describes an environment where people believe that speaking up is feasible,” explains Harvard Business School Professor and Teamraderie Advisor Amy Edmondson. “Not necessarily easy, but expected, desired, and welcomed. They believe they can do the hard things like disagree with the boss, ask a question, or admit a mistake.”?

If you’re hoping to increase psychological safety on your team, it’s important to:

• Cultivate a willingness to help
• Ensure everyone feels valued and included
• Encourage open and direct communication
• Approach risk-taking as learning opportunities

Read more: What Is Psychological Safety & Why Is It Important?

3. Build Team Trust and Connection

Every employee contributes to a company’s culture . That’s because culture consists of both implicit and explicit beliefs and behaviors.

This means that an excellent way to improve company culture is to improve employee trust and connection.?

“There are three pillars to trust,” says Harvard Business School Professor and Teamraderie Advisor Frances Frei in the Leadership Lab event Building Team Trust. “I am likely to earn your trust if you experience my authenticity, my logic, and my empathy.”?

• Authenticity: While concealing your “true self” might solve short-term problems, it hinders trust and discourages the vulnerability required for effective leadership. Demonstrate the openness you’re hoping to see in your team.?
• Logic: Back your ideas in sound evidence and data, and communicate them effectively to your team, making sure to clearly and concisely convey your main points.?
• Empathy: Pay attention to your behavior in group settings, and take note of any disengagement. Practice active listening and avoid checking your phone or—in virtual meetings—opening other tabs.

Read more: Surprising Facts about Trust in Teams

4. Foster Emotional Intelligence/EQ

According to HBR , regularly practicing empathy as a team leads to higher satisfaction, improved teamwork, less emotional exhaustion, and more organizational commitment. This is likely why nearly 80% of CEOs believe that empathy is key to success.

“Recognizing and understanding our emotional responses are crucial for creating supportive and empathetic work environments,” says Stanford Instructor, author, and Teamraderie experience host, Carley Huack.?

An article from INC highlights nine questions that can help you determine your level of EQ:?

• Are you aware of your feelings and the reasons behind them??
• Do you know your strengths and limitations as a leader??
• How well are you able to manage your distressing emotions??
• How adaptable to change are you??
• Are you able to focus on your primary goals, and do you know how to achieve them?
• How easy is it for you to show empathy and understanding to others??
• Are you good at persuading others??
• Are you good at conflict resolution and negotiation??
• Do you prefer to work on a team or by yourself??

5. Cultivate Collaboration

Collaboration is a common challenge in the workplace, especially for remote or hybrid teams.?

Research from Microsoft highlighted some of the top challenges of meeting remotely:

• Difficulty brainstorming (58%)?
• Catching up if late (57%)?
• Difficulty summarizing the meeting (56%)?
• Unclear next steps (55%)?

As a result of these challenges, employees struggle to find time to connect. Approximately 66% of employees find virtual coffee chats difficult to facilitate, even more than an in-person get-together.?

Despite this, intentional relationship-building is critical. When employee relationships are thriving, the following benefits are realized:

• Positive well-being
• High productivity
• Retention for longer than 1 year

Teamraderie experiences are perfect for enhancing team collaboration. If you’re interested in learning more, check out our experience finde r for over 60 team experiences intended to build connection, trust, and more.