Why Should You Care about Company Culture?

Believe it or not, company culture is a feeling, an emotional component. It is often thought of as that warm and fuzzy stuff that’s difficult to define. Company culture is how all the stakeholders - employees, management and customers - interact with one another. It is the "heart" of how an organization operates. It affects the decisions that are made and ultimately whether a strategy succeeds or fails.

Think of company culture like a set of guiding principles that employees operate by. It gives teams a sense of purpose and direction, that they’re working toward the same mission. It helps organizations through difficult times and hiring decisions are based on them. Employee engagement, motivation and retention are all linked to how people respond to the company culture. In some sense, it’s the glue that keeps the company together.

Establishing a strong culture is not just for large companies. It also applies, and in some cases is even more critical for early-stage startups. It should be considered a top priority, along with other critical business activities including product development, growth and customer acquisition. Company culture determines the success of a company and it should be compelling to everyone in the workplace.

Elizabeth Patterson, Vice President of Talent Network at Sapphire Ventures, stresses this point. “Culture is the biggest lever that an organization has to drive performance. A positive work culture has been linked to increased productivity, higher profit margins and improved employee engagement,” said Patterson. “If an organization doesn’t get people and culture right, their efforts in every other area will be for naught.”

Company culture goes even deeper than that. It is underpinned by the values, beliefs, and priorities of every single organizational activity. It is the foundation that guides employee behavior and corporate decision-making. It is a tangible asset of a business and an integral part of corporate DNA. It is like a company’s soul: present in every aspect of a business, its mission, new hires, who it promotes, what it delivers to clients, and so much more. Every company’s culture is different.

There are four core values that define Alation and make it unique. These principles define who we are as a company. 

• move the ball
• listen like we’re wrong
• build for the long term
• measure success through customer impact 

They frame our choices and behaviors, driving us to achieve Alation’s vision — to empower and embody a curious and rational world. They encompass the shared values of “Alationauts” who work together every day to produce results and positively impact the world around them.

Defining culture is critical, and the words used to describe it should clearly articulate the company’s values. The descriptors can’t be based on what your competitors are saying or forced to fit in narrow parameters of what you envisioned it to be. It is the all-encompassing identity and personality of an organization.

Creating an awesome company culture requires a certain level of investment. Culture takes shape on their own and business leaders can not intervene to help mold them. Alation is no different. Satyen Sangani, CEO and co-Founder of Alation, reinforces this point, “At Alation, we take pride in our vision of empowering a curious and rational workforce. By supporting the creation of data culture, both with our customers and here at Alation internally, our team comes to work every day with a mission that they believe in and work to achieve that vision alongside people that they like and respect.”

Defining company culture is much more than just putting words on a piece of paper. It requires companies and their leadership to commit to a set of values and agree to a clear set of actions to weave those values into all of the core business functions.

Michelle McHargue, Operating Partner at Costanoa Ventures, works closely with founders of her portfolio companies and remarks that, “Great culture is the foundation of a company. It helps establish the north star of happiness, retention and growth of the employees as well as the business. Part of building and continuing a company's culture is incorporating a good interview process, community building internally and performance reviews in your people process.”

A healthy company culture exists when everyone working at the organization buys into the company mission. The mission should make them feel empowered and motivated, like they own a stake in the company, and what happens to it matters to them.

Alation headquarters recently moved to a new office in Redwood City, CA.. The new environment reinforces our core values with different design elements that are consistent with our overall culture, brand and values.

A healthy company culture requires core values that both management and employees live by. It’s reflected in products and services, customers relationships and the communities the company serves. It is dynamic, ever-changing, and evolves with time and new experiences.

Business leaders who understand the importance of company culture can build happier, more engaged and better performing united workforces, driven by people who have a shared purpose – it’s also one of the best ways to attract top talent.

Does your organization have a unique culture? I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments, please share below.

?Edward Avila is the Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Alation, a startup that is the pioneer and leader of the Machine Learning Data Catalog market. To learn more about our global job opportunities like nowhere else, please click here www.alation.com/careers.