“Culture is the organization’s immune system.” — Michael Watkins
Every entrepreneur’s dream is to grow a company that outlives them; every existing organisation’s hope is that their vision comes alive. One of the key factors in creating successful organisations, is that we must create an atmosphere that generates a love for what we do.
Over time, as society, we have come to accept that people enjoy doing what they are passionate about, they will take risks for things that speak to their hearts. Understanding this innate desire in every human being is essential to stimulating welcomed behaviours.
Our company culture is a way of doing things, what we do and how we do it repeatedly over time.
We must first of all determine the essence of who we are as a company and why we do what we do. We must understand what our vision and mission represents and how we can play roles in sustaining both.
A good work culture sets the standard for every occurrence, the way employees are hired, the daily interactions, incentives and opportunities that are offered. Our culture is reflected in how we treat ourselves internally and how we handle our customers, services and products.
Our way of doing work successfully is the practice that we must maintain. Clever CEO’s and team leader’s factor in the 3 C’s into their company’s mantra, these are the building blocks needed to create and establish patterns that build successful brands.
Communication
From the first day of work employees must adopt your way of communicating, how you manage crisis, how to receive and give feedback; also, how you analyze information, and how you want to be perceived by your customers and the public. For example, you can be known for the best after- sales care; while practicing these traits needs to be deliberate, it sets into motion after some time.Culture does not have to be big or overly dramatic.
Clarity
What makes the organisation? What drives your system? What attributes do you look for in an employee? How can you further develop those attributes? and how can employees be rewarded when they adopt the attributes and values which help the organisation progress?
Consistency
This word cannot be over emphasized; good management practice implores us that good practice makes perfect. The one recipe to injecting a new or an existing culture is by maintaining and repeating the processes over and over again.
A good employee by default looks at the teammate that performs excellently and copies the behaviour of that person; humans desire to be the first. This awesome competitive streak can be beneficial to growth. It is more likely that people will emulate the ways of a high performing staff; especially the one who finds favour with customers or management.
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Your company culture is your way of making best friends out of your processes and your people. According to Lazlo Bock, head of People Operations at Google: ”People operations are where science and human resources intersect. And it’s what keeps Google a top performing company”.
After making the list of best companies to work for, in Fortune Magazine’s annual list, Dan Satterthwaite, Head of Human Resources at the company Dream Works Animation said “We’ve been at it for over a decade in terms of really trying to create a unique and special place for people to come and do work; Any creative enterprise needs an environment where people can explore and feel valued and you can’t create that in a dungeon.”
Creating a winning organisational lifestyle involves a lot of work, finding the right people who add the finishing touch to what you want to establish, and providing the environment necessary for change. Cultures are not stagnant they are living beings who flow freely in time and space.
‘An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage’- Jack Welch
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