Every company has a culture. The culture can be carefully created and grown by the company’s management, or it can be something that grows on its own. Research shows that companies with a strong culture significantly outperform companies without a foundation of shared values. Company culture can be a nebulous concept, so PADGETT BUSINESS SERVICES® has created this guide to creating company culture.
What is company culture? It is the shared identity, values, attitudes, atmosphere, behaviors and beliefs that are the driving force behind how a company does its work. Culture unifies a company and adds meaning to your work. It also shapes major decisions, from who to hire to how you serve your customers. Why would you let something so important to the identity of your company be created haphazardly and without direction?
So how do you grow and shape culture? The first step is to identify your company’s core values. What are your goals and how do you want to achieve them? Examples of company values are:
- Honesty
- Creativity
- Diversity
- Open to new ideas
- Efficiency
- Customer Service
- Collaboration
- Loyalty
- Innovation
Once you have identified your core values, the next step is to create or revise your practices and procedures with these core values in mind. For example, tech company Urban Airship values creativity, so once a quarter they have what they call “Free Friday”, where employees can work on whatever they want, from creating board games to building prototypes of new mobile marketing software. The employees then present what they have worked on in a company meeting at the end of the day. Urban Airship founder Scott Kveton says that some of the best ideas for new features have come out of work done on Free Friday.
Once you have your practices and procedures in place, it is time to lead by example. Filter every action you take as a leader of your company through the lens of your company values. This should impact everything from new policies and procedures to hiring practices. Give all of your teams a sense of ownership so that they can work within your company culture. Keep in regular communication with your employees so that you can see how the values are working in the day-to-day operations of your company.
Company culture shapes the future of a business, so it is essential that business leaders create a culture that will allow the company and its employees to succeed. PADGETT BUSINESS SERVICES® values personal relationships and efficient service to help small business owners succeed by providing the financial services they need.