The Keys to Creating a Great Organisational Culture

In the past 10 years or so organisational culture has become a hot topic.

A recent Deloitte Global Human Capital Trendsreport found 86 per cent of respondents’ viewed ‘corporate culture’ as either ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to business success.

However and somewhat worryingly, that same report found only about 12 per cent of people thought their company was ’driving the right culture’ and about 28 per cent ‘understood their organisation's culture’.

The problem, says US keynote speaker and author Erika Andersen, is that although culture plays an important part in building a successful enterprise, we are not always sure how to improve it or sometimes, even what it is!

Establishing a great organisational culture means having a clear and consistent vision - and knowing how you want everyone, both internally and externally, to view the company.

In the old days, most business leaders and CEOs put the business first and people second.

However, nowadays it is widely recognised that it is the people who make a business successful.

Thus it follows that the more you include your people in the operation of a business - the better the employee’ contributions.

Of course this also in turn, leads to better customer appreciation.

So, in the interests of creating ‘Great Organisational Culture’, here are some helpful pointers:

1. Agree on what culture is

Firstly, it is always a good idea for everyone involved to reach a consensus on what culture is before you start working on it.

Andersen defines company culture as: ‘Patterns of accepted behaviour, and the beliefs and values that promote and reinforce them.’

Therefore it will pay you to think about and discuss some of your organisation’s currently accepted behaviours, that you may also be unhappy with.

2. Recognise the importance of values

Another good step in clarifying and creating good organisational culture is to define your core values. By doing this, you let both the world and your organisation know what is most important in your business - and your interactions with each other. The key then is to decide how to ‘live’ those values – while balancing your aspirations and goals with practicality. Obviously, it helps to pick values that have not yet been fully embraced by your organisation. To find out what they are, try filling out the following phrase:

‘We care deeply about__________; it's how we want to do business.’

Some examples of core values include ‘accountability’ and ‘punctuality’.

3. What do we mean by values?

Next, work out what these values will look like in daily life - and how they then show up in terms of ‘patterns of accepted behaviour’. In her study, Andersen quotes members of her client group who cite the following three behaviours as a clear and accurate reflection of what ‘accountability’ means to them:

·     I am responsible for the outcomes of my decisions

·     I take action to find workable solutions to challenges

·     I set and achieve high standards.

By defining your values like this you can use them practically to create the culture you want.

This method can be applied right across the organisation - from HR to Marketing and Communications, Strategic Development and Finance.

Lastly, once you have defined the behaviours for each value - review all of the identified behaviours (usually about 10-15) - and then tackle the top three or four of the least-acceptable ones.

By doing this, you should be on your way to creating a great organisational culture in your organisation.