Top 5 Tips for Building a Great Company Culture

Company culture is more than simply a passing fad for organisations. While a company’s culture is an intangible and difficult-to-measure factor, it’s important for the company’s long-term success.

There are several inspiring stories online about well-known firms’ successful organisational cultures – such as Google, Netflix and Zappos. But it’s one thing to read about the satisfied employees at major corporations and a completely different thing to actually implement the practices that keep them happy. 

So how can you implement the practices and policies to create a strong, positive corporate culture for your own organisation? Read on for our top 5 tips.

What Is Company Culture?

The term “company culture” may bring to mind thoughts of team festivities and staff goodies. While such incentives certainly play a part in developing an ideal workplace culture, the phrase itself involves much more than just giveaways.

Organisation culture is defined by the goals, expectations and values held by the individuals who work for the company. And, when it comes to positive corporate culture, the size of the firm doesn’t necessarily have to dictate its culture. Even if you are the single proprietor of a firm with only one employee, the culture that your company develops will have a significant impact on its success, allowing you to create positivity in the workplace.

Because the foundation of each business’s culture is founded on the company’s distinct customs, purpose and values, each firm creates a culture that is specific to its requirements and identity. Workplace culture does not come in a one-size-fits-all package. The culture of your firm will be uniquely positioned to fulfil its overall goals and vision.

Benefits of a Positive Corporate Culture

There’s a reason why huge, successful companies like Google do more than just talk about corporate culture – They actually walk the talk, and that’s one huge factor for their success. According to research, a positive business culture has a profound effect on a variety of elements that, when combined, greatly influence a firm’s performance.

A flourishing culture influences the following variables:

• Job satisfaction and productivity
• Retention of employees
• Profitability via creativity and innovation

Apart from studying the inspiring examples set by major, well-known enterprises, the following recommendations can assist company owners seeking to develop and maintain a healthy workplace culture inside their own organisations and create positivity in the workplace.

Tips to Build a Successful Company Culture

1. Know your Company’s Core Values

Because your company’s culture is formed on its fundamental principles, it’s essential to evaluate them. Consider if these principles are represented in the current culture – and if not, what modifications will you need to make?

In-depth evaluation isn’t something to be handled lightly, and it generally requires more than just one discussion with senior management.

• Identify Your Key Values

Values are the foundation of culture. In order to establish a new culture, you should purposefully speak with clients and staff about what the company has stood for in the past, what has made it special, and what has resulted in predictable behaviours that produce outcomes. This can bring to the surface the company’s genuine values and culture – and those values will be the ones that truly represent your organisation.

• Build Values in an Unorthodox Way

Using an unconventional approach to culture has shown to be quite effective. Look at all of the activities and behaviours you want to see in your company and then turn them into values for your team to follow. For example, if your team isn’t returning phone calls, make “we always get back to our clients” one of your values and publicise it for everyone to see – and then observe as your team naturally conforms.

• Create a Culture Playbook

Culture playbooks help to establish and maintain the tone of what is right within your organisation’s boundaries. They represent what you think, believe, do, say, see and hear in relation to your vision, mission, value declarations and cultural statement.

• Be Clear about Your “Why”

Leaders will be judged solely on their culture. Entrepreneurs are so focused on “doing” that they seldom take the time in the early stages to ensure that everyone understands the “why”. Regularly make time to explain “why” decisions were taken and processes were implemented, what’s coming up next, and why it matters to the team.

• Define Your Wants and Needs

Defining your desires and requirements is, by far, the most important phase. It should take precedence over anything else. Every other action taken is either pointless or doomed to fail without a clear explanation of the “what, when, and how”. Following that, lead by example – don’t ask your staff to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself.

2. Make Cultural Fit a Priority

Throughout the hiring process, while it’s easy to get caught up in a candidate’s skill set and work history, you should keep your business culture in mind. At its essence, culture is about people. Determining whether or not potential new team members are culturally compatible can go a long way toward establishing a company culture that aligns with your organisation’s basic values and beliefs.

• Hire People Smarter than You

Someone once stated that a wise entrepreneur employs smarter people than themselves – which, in itself, speaks volumes about the entrepreneur’s wisdom! According to Steve Jobs, if you’re recruiting clever individuals, why would you want to get in their way? Trust them to do their jobs well, and the initial (smart) people you hire will set the tone for your organisation’s culture. So, be picky!

• Get Your Team to Think Big-Picture

Company culture is inextricably tied to your business’s principles and personal values. Your firm is only as good as the individuals who work for it – they are the front-line warriors for you. Acting in accordance with core values, both personally and professionally, and ensuring that each employee acts in alignment with them, is the greatest method to establish business culture from the ground up.

3. Recognise the Power of Feedback and Engagement

Communication is imperative in the establishment of a culture that accurately reflects your company’s mission – but it takes more than top-down communication to achieve the culture you desire. Using the power of employee input and engagement to establish the proper culture for your organisation is an important step.

• Focus on Events and Experiences

Events and experiences play a role in shaping the workplace culture. More than anything you say or write, what leaders do to confront key challenges or unforeseen circumstances can help establish a culture. So, when you’re in startup mode, be aware of what’s going on and how you’ll deal with the problem(s) in the short and long run.

• Having Fun at the Workplace

The feeling of fun at work is a fundamental component of employee happiness and a positive corporate culture. This means employees having fun at workplace events and also routine tasks, a more positive mindset, experience higher levels of wellbeing, and maintain better mental health. Employee wellbeing is associated with decreased absenteeism and work-related mistakes in organisations.

• Cultivate Connections with Your Team

You can create a strong culture inside your company, regardless of the size of your workforce, by cultivating meaningful interactions with them. Consider how you can develop stronger bonds within your employees and coworkers – What are your shared values, and how can you work together to achieve a common goal that you all care about?

• Create Mutuality for Team Members

When it comes to developing a workplace culture, it’s important that coworkers have a shared purpose and recognise that you’re all working toward the same objective. This form of mutuality (the sharing of the same sentiment or goal) can serve to build trust and create a conducive environment for debate and growth, allowing for successful cooperation and teamwork.

4. Lead by Example

Culture is a hazy, illusionary idea. Culture development and promotion include much more than merely informing employees about the current culture. The direction of your company’s culture is driven by leadership and top management, which means you and your top employees must embody the culture that you wish to establish and sustain.

• Look in the Mirror

Your culture-building path can be guided by an acute and accurate understanding of oneself, starting with your weak points. When you’re anxious, do you try to exert control over others? Are you one of those people who avoids having unpleasant conversations? Imagine your worst traits being multiplied in a group of people as a result of you unintentionally normalising actions that have tripped you up. Your leadership should exemplify the ideal positive corporate culture, and it’s important that you’re aware of that and making conscious efforts for it.

• Stay True to Your Vibe

When you start your own business, you have the freedom to do things your way. This is your chance to build a flourishing company culture that reflects your leadership style rather than that of others. So, it’s important to be truly loyal to yourself and your leadership style. Your energy will attract the appropriate people who care about the company’s mission and the culture you’re creating.

• Be the Culture

There’s an easy way to answer that: As a leader, you don’t work in a culture, you are the culture. As the company grows, you will be constantly scrutinised. People will look up to you as a role model. So, pay attention to what you say, what you do, and how you do it. The most effective tool for building a positive corporate culture is to be a role model for the culture you wish to see in your company.

• Show, Don’t Tell

“Show, don’t tell” is a good rule to follow when it comes to building a company culture. Don’t just tell your staff that you embrace diversity; instead, hire people who are diverse, and genuinely take their new ideas on board. Don’t tell your employees you care about their health; instead, provide them with flexible working hours and then honour that flexibility. Don’t claim to have a feedback culture; instead, conduct and welcome difficult conversations without talking over employees. Culture is a choice, not a requirement. Talk the talk and walk the walk.

5. Focus on Creating an Environment that Inspires

Many business owners are accustomed to being the driving force behind each new effort undertaken by their organisation. However, business culture is that intangible quality that stems from a strong sense of belonging. To put it another way, you shouldn’t try to be your employees’ main source of motivation – their motivations should be intrinsic.

• Build It around Respect

If you build your organisational culture around respect for one another – as individuals and professionals – then it will be much easier to meet the challenges of company growth. Respect is key to meeting the critical situations that require trust, honesty and cohesiveness to see them through. It fosters a comfortable environment in which open communication, honest critique and innovation can flourish.

• Create Positivity in the Workplace

Building a successful corporate culture necessitates a positive work environment. On a daily basis, you should express appreciation, give credit where credit is due, and remain positive in the face of adversity. Even allowing for a relaxed dress code contributes to a pleasant and positive corporate culture and can allow your employees to have more fun at workplaces.