Importance of Organizational Culture and How to Build One

Howdy,

We all know how culture is close to our hearts. Most of us do certain things in a certain way despite our level of education or status in the society because it is our culture. We feel it is what defines who we are and gives us a sense of identity.

Most of us spend about 8 hours per day working. This mean means most of our time as adults is spent at work. It is therefore important for our work environment to be friendly and conducive.

Your organisation’s culture will set the tone for your organisation’s work environment. Let’s start by defining what is organisational culture? Organisational culture is a collection of values, expectations, and practices that guide and inform the actions of all team members in a company. It is more like a collection of traits that make your company what it is.

So is organisational culture the same as organisational goals or a mission statement? Of course not! Culture is created through consistent and authentic behaviours, not press releases or policy documents. A company’s culture comes to play when you see how a CEO responds to a crisis, how a team adapts to new customer demands, or how a manager corrects an employee who makes a mistake.

Importance of culture to your company

It defines your company’s internal and external identity: It defines how your organisation does business and how the team interacts with one another, your customers, partners, suppliers, media and all other stakeholders.

Organisational culture is about living your company’s core values: A strong organisational culture keeps your company’s core values front and center in all aspects of its day-to-day operations and organisational structure

Your culture can transform employees into advocates: The greatest advantages of a good organisational culture is that it has the power to turn employees into advocates.

Employees look for something more than just a steady pay-check and good benefits; they want to feel like what they do matters. And when your people feel like they matter, they’re more likely to become culture advocates—that is, people who not only contribute to your organisations culture, but also promote it and live it internally and externally.

Employee retention: employees who feel like they’re part of a community, rather than a cog in a wheel, are more likely to stay at your company.

Your culture transforms your company into a team: The culture at your organisation not only sets expectations for how people behave and work together, but also how well they function as a team.

Culture impacts performance and employee wellbeing: A healthy culture addresses employee’s performance and wellbeing and ensures there is an appropriate balance of both. A culture that stresses performance to such a degree that employees feel like their physical and mental health are being overlooked is a dysfunctional one.

In conclusion, as an employee, the above should be the beginning of a conversation of what does your company bring to the table over and above your pay-check and benefits vs what you offer your company. As an employer, the this should be the beginning of a conversation of what is your organizational culture and how to better it. With that said, let’s meet on the next article where I will guide you on how to build a high-performing organizational culture.

Your bank buddy