Most companies agree that company culture exists and plays a pivotal role in shaping behavior in organizations. However, even with consensus there is no agreement on how to define organizational culture.
Building a Better Workforce through Culture Development
Company culture in short, is the personality of the company. It defines the day-to-day environment in which employees work. This environment is influenced by type of work, work environment, company values, employee expectations, among many other factors. Company culture can come in many different forms. Some companies have a team-based approach with casual work attire and relaxed rules and regulations. Other companies are more traditional, including direct managerial oversight, shirt tie dress code, and more strict rules within the workplace. This is not to say one style is better than another but rather that culture can run across a wide spectrum. Therefore, it is important to understand how companies can establish and change their company culture.
Strategic Culture Development Planning
It is crucial to establish your company culture, as the average person spends 90,000 hours of their lifetime at work. If the employee connects to the culture, they are more likely to work harder, have a more favorable opinion of their workplace, and stay with the company longer. Conversely, an unhappy employee is likely to be less happy in the office, work less efficiently, and is more willing to leave the company.
Leveraging Culture Development for Talent Acquisition
Even with a basic understanding of company culture many executives and leaders don’t really understand what culture is let alone how to develop it, measure it, change it or more importantly how it directly impacts performance. Many of these same leaders are defensive and claim they have a strong and healthy corporate culture while their employees feel the opposite.
Aegis can help establish a company culture by:
- Defining corporate values
- Understand employee thoughts about the company
- Document desired culture
- Create action plan to reach desired culture