Optimizing Your Company Culture

From supply chain issues to the Great Resignation of 2021, finding ways to grow your team and build your business can be challenging. This week we're focusing on you and your team and how your company culture can benefit your team and business.?

Applying minimum viable culture to your company -- startup or otherwise -- can improve alignment between the value proposition, company values, and purpose.?

To define your minimum viable culture, ask yourself a few questions like these:

• Why does your company do what it does?
• What does your company believe?
• Where do you want your company to go?

There are other critical questions to ask, too:

• What value do you currently (or hope to) deliver to customers?
• Do your company values support your value proposition to customers?
• What behaviors are you performing to display your values?
• Do employees share the same values as company founders?
• Do you have stories that help define or demonstrate your company's values?
• What are the driving forces behind your values? What motivates your company?

These questions can help you articulate your company's minimum viable culture. Be thoughtful in answering them, and depending on the size of your company, it might take some time and research (using metrics) to provide the meaningful answers you need to define your culture or change your culture.

Creating a positive company culture is not easy. Here are eight tips to help you make the most out of your company culture:

Prioritize open communication between you and your staff members; this includes emails, text messages, or face-to-face. Without open communication, the business's productivity will be affected.?

• Practice what you preach and hold yourself accountable. Expectations you set for your employees, you should also fulfill yourself.?
• Being inclusive of your company's culture is vital. Understand the individual needs of your employees; listening to them will help build trust and respect. Therefore, employees will want to do their best work and strive to earn your respect.?
• Encourage collaboration and an environment to share ideas. Create a company culture that allows everyone to motivate and inspire one another.?
• Always be transparent to limit misunderstandings. Build trust with your team.
• Allow for flexibility, if possible, within the workplace, whether you offer work-from-home options or hybrid schedules.?
• Create a sense of alignment by finding ways to be more 'pro-employee' within your workplace culture.?
• Protect employee well-being to help your employees stay productive and healthy; this is an integral part of creating a positive company culture.

For more business tips and resources, you can visit our BBB Business HQ here: