Culture Powers Business Model

“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person -not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.” Anne M. Mulcahy, former CEO of Xeros

While working on the Truly Human Culture Playbook using design thinking, I got to understand what employees really need, which employers don’t get. Most employees and employers believe that all that employees need is a good pay and an environment where they feel safe. Yes, employees need that. It could be the foundation, but its not what is important to them.

Good pay can only motivate employees to perform to a certain extent. Employees are happy when they receive a raise however after a while, they get used to it and begin seeking for money. Their expenses will always rise to meet their income, but they don’t have power over how much they are paid.

I guess this is the most frustrating part of working: not having power over what you earn. You have to depend on what your employer decides to pay you and when they feel you should earn more. You can put in all the effort but have no power to increase your income. The feeling of powerlessness as an employee is frustrating.

The Truly Human Culture liberates the humanity in people working in an organization. It completely removes the ceiling on the ability of employees to earn income. The best of humans only comes out when there is no cap, limit, on our ability to create, produce, contribute and earn. Organizations that place a limit on what their employees can do and earn, have a culture that is anti-human.

When an organization designs a culture that limits its employees, it limits its capacity to unleash its potential. They deprive employees of opportunities as such their employees focus on selling their time and effort rather than creating value. The Truly Human Culture, on the other hand, gives employees the power to experience growing capabilities and unlimited opportunities.

Truly Human Culture doesn’t tell employees what to do, when and how to do it, and how much money they can earn doing it. It removes the limitations. It empowers employees to be their best and bring their best selves to work. This is why the Truly Human Culture is the ability of organizations’ leaders to create value for their employees, deliver value to their employees, and capture value from their employees.

To design a Truly Human Culture, leaders need first to understand what their employees want and need; they need to first know their employees. It helps leaders to create greater value and opportunities for their employees. The only way an organization's future will be guaranteed is if it has a culture that continually creates value for their employees.

What is value to an employee? What is important to an employee? To get this answer, business leaders need to empathize with their employee segment and then develop an Employee Value Proposition that resonates with their employees. This is a promise of value employers make to their employees and anyone who will join them. This is a compelling offer that attracts employees to want to pitch their capability with them.

“Employee engagement is an investment we make for the privilege of staying in business.” Ian Hutchinson

When the organization is able to deliver the value proposition it creates a meaningful Employee Experience that enhances Employee Engagement. Employees will become emotionally invested in the company when the company’s value proposition resonates with their deepest emotional needs and desires. Employees have the following emotional desires:

1. Desire to feel secure and cared for

2. Desire to stand out from the crowd

3. Desire to be the person they want to be

4. Desire to feel they matter

5. Desire to feel they are useful

6. Desire to know that what they are doing has meaning

7. Desire to know that they have a future with the company

“The responsibility of a company is to serve the customer. The responsibility of leadership is to serve their people so that their people may better serve the customer. If leaders fail to serve their people first, both customer and company will suffer.” Simon Sinek

Truly Human Culture creates meaning for employees by appealing to their emotions. When all the elements of the culture work together to create and deliver value to the employees, they become delighted, engaged, and productive. The organization reaps the investment as performance. When the business model (performance) isn’t working, the problem is always the culture.

Truly Human Culture is a focus on employees as people (humans), providing them with a purpose and cause that is bigger than life which helps them grow to reach and realize their individual and collective potentials and gives them the opportunity to self-actualize through their performance and feel their work is significant and worth doing.?