The decision to start your own business is a big step. You wonder whether or not you can handle it, whether or not you will be successful, or even how you will sustain yourself financially until customers start knocking on your door. After the nervousness wears off and the excitement kicks in, start planning. You know what you want your business to stand for and the customers you want to attract. You meticulously plan your brand strategy. Then you need to consider the kind of culture you want your company to have.
Establishing a Culture
A culture is the values and practices shared by the members of the group. Thus, company culture is the shared values and practices of company employees. You want your employees to embody the values that are established in your company culture. Your company’s mission statement should incorporate culture. Company culture is vital to your success because it can make or break your company. Companies with a strong culture that is aligned with their business goals often outperform their competitors. To achieve those results for your company, you must first determine what your culture is, how you are going to implement it, and essentially guide your employees to achieve the desired culture.
Below is a list of cultures that companies have used to establish their culture. You can use these examples to determine which values best fit your company culture.
• Assignment
• Employee commitment
• High integrity workplace
• Strong relationships of trust
• Ethical values
• Highly effective leadership
• Effective systems and processes
• Customer oriented
• Emphasis on recruiting and retaining outstanding employees
• High degree of adaptability
• High standards of responsibility
• Demonstrated support for innovation
Getting employees to join the culture
Company cultures can change over time for various reasons. A change in personnel can affect the company culture. As employees leave the company and their replacements are hired, the company culture will change. The replacement that was made may not match or represent the company culture. However, since each new employee brings their own set of values and practices to the company, the culture will change.
Any abnormality in your company culture may be reflected in the way the company operates, handles its customers, or in normal daily tasks. There are ways to avoid a major change in your company culture. When hiring new employees, you need to consider whether or not they will fit into your company culture. Companies have the option of hiring an employment agency to provide them with a temporary employee. This will give you an opportunity to review candidates’ work attire and general suitability to your company before hiring them full-time. This will save you time and money from having to hire someone else, just to do the fitting.
Promoting values and actively demonstrating office culture can be very healthy for a company’s sustainability. Hold everyone accountable for their actions, especially those in leadership positions. Make sure everyone is demonstrating the values stated in your mission statement. Doing this will increase awareness and effectively communicate the expectations of all involved. This will lead to an increase in transferred skills and behaviors that demonstrate the office culture.
• Make new employees aware of office culture when they start their first day on the job.
• Review culture at management and employee meetings and trainings.
• Resolving any ethical or cultural dilemmas that may arise in accordance with the guidelines will reinforce the company’s belief in its culture.
• Include evaluations and evaluations of ethical performance.
• Reward employees who demonstrate company culture.
• Provide all employees within the office with a copy of the company culture.
Applying these tips, as well as your diligence to build your company’s reputation for a great culture, will set you on the path to success.
