Corporate culture involves many facets within a business.  The post will describe a few of them and how they can make a tremendous difference for employees.

Corporate Culture (i.e., How we do things around here — attitudes, behaviors, business practices)

Goodness.  A healthy corporate culture promotes harmony, collaboration, and better relationships among employees.  Staff can perform job assignments effectively when silos are torn down.

Appreciation.  When people are listed on departmental charts,* it should tell them their presence is important to the company’s future.  They have desirable qualifications:

• Valuable skill-sets
• Expertise
• Personal traits
• The company looks upon them in high regard

Wardrobe.  It stands to reason employees are expected to wear suits, or uniforms, at certain businesses.  They have direct contact with patients, customers, clients and potential clients.  However, for many other companies less formal attire should become the a norm. Wearing professional casual clothing allows a more relaxed work environment for employees.  They’ll have the ability to concentrate on work activities to bring the firm value.

Teamwork.  Each member of the organization should be viewed as an active participant to advance the firm towards a prosperous future.

Uniqueness.  Team members are working in unison to fulfill the company’s objectives. Members are similar and unique all at once, and the latter should radiate by allowing employees to be themselves.

Some members are quieter, maternal, studious, extroverted, humorous, social, playful, serious, etc., and a corporate culture allows members to express themselves thusly.  Within reason, of course.  Uniqueness fosters an indescribable good quality to the firm, which can also lead to excellence.

Members can breathe and experience comfort, knowing their uniqueness is welcomed, instead of judged.

Vision, Mission Statements.  Upper management not only has to create these documents, but ensure that every team member understands them completely.

Vision = The company’s goals

Mission = Objectives which bring vision into reality

Therefore, upper management has to convey to the team on a regular basis what the company’s goals are, and steps required to deliver goals.  The team has to meet criteria with excellence.

Intellectual Curiosity.  Large Worldview.  Creativity.  Critical-Thinking Skills.  Problem-Solving Skills.  The new corporate culture allows members to show brilliance.

They have freedom to expand the company’s knowledge with new concepts, strategies, innovative ideas; search for global-economic trends the firm can look forward to, or circumvent, and at the very least reduce the impact on the company; can suggest that other trends (i.e., business practices, office technology, equipment, etc.) can bring additional value to the firm; creativity flows because team members are using imagination to improve brand image; designing products and services, messages to consumers; members are capable of discovering problems within the company, analyzing issues from several perspectives, and selecting the best solutions; also, members are proactive because they can determine potential difficulties within the company, and have remedies available as a mechanism.

Professional Development.  Another approach healthy corporate culture demonstrates to employees you’re the most important asset the company has, is by creating and implementing a training center, or contracting vendors for routine employee training sessions.

The gesture informs employees that not only should the company grow, but employees should grow as well.

Bottom-Up Management.  Team members in lower parts of the organization can witness if a project is stalled because of production equipment failures; the customer is happy with products and services, dissatisfied, or experienced injury from them; fully aware if a group of employees plan a work stoppage, and many other situations organizations experience. By structuring the company in said form, employees can believe they really are partners in the company’s future.

Leadership Style.  Departmental/Business Unit leaders have to embrace humility above other traits they possess, and then converge the remaining attributes of Level 5 Leadership with Team Management Leadership as a hybrid style approach.

*Or consulted with in other capacities.

Vikki