Organizational culture encompasses the values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization.
Organizational culture includes an organization’s expectations, experiences, philosophy, and values that hold it together, and is expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations. It is based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, and written and unwritten rules that have been developed over time and are considered valid.
Also called corporate culture, it is shown in:
- the ways the organization conducts its business, treats its employees, customers, and the wider community,
- the extent to which freedom is allowed in decision making, developing new ideas, and personal expression,
- how power and information flow through its hierarchy, and
- how committed employees are towards collective objectives.
The reason it is so valued and prioritized in companies all over the world is the fact that it affects the organization’s productivity and performance, and provides guidelines on customer care and service, product quality and safety, attendance and punctuality, and concern for the environment.
Changing and redirecting the culture of your business will be a hard mission, will take time but it will be immensly worth it in the end. Changing human behavior, at a collective level, takes dedication, close inspection and patience. It is though the most effective and long lasting method of ensuring a healhty and congruent culture within your business.
Motivation and commitment will drive your employees towards over reaching their dreams, towards working hard and honestly caring about the company. This is why sometimes companies prefer to hire people that share the same visions, dedication and principles. It is easier to teach somebody the technical skills required for a certain position, but it is harder next to impossible to completely work against their way of thinking and still expect the same outcome.
Working towards the same goals, and within the same value frame creates a common purpose seen all the way throughout the company’s endeavours, from product to marketing campaigns. Let’s take Apple for example.
Their core values are inclusion and diversity, which they use as a base for the originality behind their products. They promote new ideas, products that will enhance your way of living and are very keen on believing in what they sell. Apple’s core values are easily recognised because of their consistency in behaviour within the working environment. In conclusion, the undertaken strategy of hiring people that strive towards a diverse and inclusive community, ensured them the continuity of the same type of organizational culture.
There are ways to chanel and direct your organizational culture towards the desired conclusion, with definite results and favorable reactions. In the infographic bellow you have 10 principles that together with rigorous implementation could ensure your company’s growth.
