Corporate Culture Change and Development

Instead of telling your employees what to do, help them already know the right thing to do.

Organizations are free to sell or deliver almost anything, and their internal culture is often based solely on that. But to ensure success, culture needs to be structured in alignment with the wants, needs and demands of an organization’s employees and customers. Organizational leaders need to be transparent in what they do and why they do it. In order to attract and retain people, organizations and their leaders must treat employees like they matter. Individuals will not be loyal and engaged with organizations that have a culture that does not treat them as valuable in return.

The role of culture

When done correctly, an organization’s unique culture is a beneficial part of the organizational DNA. The culture will attract loyal employees and customers. As a result the business empowers the people it comes into contact with and grows.

The challenge is to clearly articulate and pursue a culture within an organization. Many companies attempt to develop culture from the ground up, but the anticipated positive effects do not materialize. That is because by default, culture already exists inside every organization. To develop a culture where employees can thrive, an organization change the corporate culture that already exists.

Vision

With the right vision, management and leaders don’t need to tell the employees what to do — the employees already know what needs to be done. This allows for employee autonomy and creates employee engagement. With a solid vision, a mission statement or the “how” isn’t required. Engaged, committed employees can create an effective and dynamic response to “how.”

Vision is the “what” an organization does. When employees know what an organization does, they can align their thoughts, decisions and actions to the vision. A vision should be short, memorable and repeatable. Long, confusing paragraphs cannot provide effective guidance to engaged employees. A clear vision attracts employees who want to participate in creating the “what” of your business. And it is a guiding light as employees determine the best way to accomplish the goals of the organization.

Purpose

People need to be inspired by purpose. If an organization is only about making money, employees won’t stand behind it for long. If the purpose of an organization is compelling, it will attract passionate employees who want to fulfill that purpose. Employees are drawn to organizations that have a purpose that is a benefit to humankind.

The business model

An organization’s business model is the structure wherein employees pursue the organization’s vision in service of the purpose. To function effectively, a business model needs to be in alignment with multiple relationships: the wants, needs and demands of customers; the possibilities and opportunities of the information age; and competitive
effectiveness.

A business model that does not evolve to meet the needs of customers impacts the lifespan of the organization, and the engagement of employees. A generation ago, the lifespan of an S&P company averaged 50 years. Today, that average lifespan is 25 years and shrinking. Employees value an organization with vitality and a business model that is not stuck in the past.

In the information age, employees have streams of data at their fingertips. It opens up opportunities for employees and customers to make clear choices. Transparency and honesty within this new reality are vital.

The “middle person,” both within organizational structures between employees and between the company and client, is disappearing. To remain effective and competitive, organizations must move towards eliminating the layers in the middle and build relationships that recognize the choice and voice of the people they are engaged with.

Unique/Wow factors

If everyone is building fences, dig a tunnel — know what sets your organization apart from others and embrace it. This is an outward facing attitude that looks to delivering distinctive services and goods to your clients. The internal result is employees who can identify with the unique attributes of the organization. The relationship of an external, unique wow factor with internal engagement is valid, because it doesn’t focus on what your deliver, as much as how your employees deliver it.

Values

Values are the part of your organization that is most visible to customers and the outside world. Take a good look around your organization and see what the current values are. The values are embodied in the everyday actions and interactions of each employee.

To create values that will benefit an organization, be honest in your assessment. For example, if your company currently doesn’t communicate promptly, you wouldn’t want to state that value as “communicate when convenient.” Instead, clearly state and pursue the value you want performed on an ongoing basis, in this example, “timely communication.”

Values shouldn’t need to be explained or open to interpretation. Over time, with commitment from leadership and individuals, values become self-managing and the consistent expression of the way the organization performs.

Put it into practice

Look at the five key structures that frame your organization’s unique culture. Is it aligned with the wants, needs and demands of employees and customers? Decision-makers can map out what the structure should be and then allow the people who will operate within that structure the time and resources to help create it day to day.