What 4 factors are essential to the creation of Organisational culture?

It’s that bit of magic that helps makes the day-to-day lives of everyone in your business just that little bit better. It turns your organisation into more than ‘just a job’ for your employees; instead, it’s something that supports them and their wellbeing both at work and after they’ve gone home for the day.

If your organisation has a great workplace culture, you’ll have less and less of those days where people dread going into work. In fact, businesses that have nailed the art of positive workplace cultures will often have exceptional rates of staff retention and productivity – after all, why would you want to leave a job and company you love to work for?

But make no mistake - it’s not something you buy off the shelf, get through a few social events or gimmicks like bean bags and pool tables. It’s something that builds on what’s already there, and there are four crucial factors that you should be aware of…

1. YOUR MISSION, VISION AND VALUES

Perhaps the most crucial factor in consistently driving an organisation’s culture is its overarching values. Ask yourself: What does the business stand for, and what is it trying to achieve? What impact does it try and make on the world?

This might be basic stuff to the initiated, but it’s something that can be so easily overlooked or even forgotten! In short, businesses need step up to the plate when it comes to living its values – not just having them emblazoned on an office wall or buried in promotional brochure.

An organisation that means what it says and inspires people through its actions, will have a better workplace culture that contributes to positive staff wellbeing than one that doesn’t. It’s really that simple!

But note, these values also need to be aligned to an employee’s role – they need to understand the part they play in helping the organisation achieve its vision, and feel like they’re actively contributing to its success, which leads nicely onto…

2. YOUR PEOPLE

Of course, a workplace culture isn’t something that’s imposed upon people – it’s something that people help create. Also, think about the people you are looking to attract to the business, too: do they really fit in with your organisation’s values, or are you focusing purely on skills and experience?

Encourage dialogue across the business and engage teams to create something that will genuinely be relevant to them. This means that the senior leaders who set the tone have to give the people on the ground something relevant and meaningful to effectively buy into.

Also, don’t forget that the people the organisation hires – their personalities, skills, behaviours and backgrounds – will all play an essential role in driving that consistent, positive culture.

3. YOUR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Do your managers support employees, empowering them to be their best and recognising their achievements? Or are they more of a hindrance?

Do your company’s leaders set a good example, and interact with the people on the ground, or are they always distant? How many people in your organisation have actually had a conversation with the MD, or met the CEO? And is there one rule for the people at the top and another for everyone else when it comes to pay, holiday and standards?

The way leaders and managers communicate with the rest of the organisation is important – as their behaviours and actions will filter down through the rest of the business. Not only that, but a business that puts the concerns of the senior leaders ahead of the rest of the team might struggle to even build a positive workplace culture at all.

4. YOUR ORGANISATION’S WORK / LIFE BALANCE

Lastly, many organisations can lose sight of the fact that employees have a life outside of work – and that the things going on outside of the four walls of the office may occasionally be a bit more important to an employee for short periods of time.

A poor work/life balance can be a massive cause of stress and poor mental health – and don’t kid yourself into thinking it’s something that more money can solve!

Giving people more control over how they make their work fit with their personal lives can be an incredibly important factor in a positive workplace culture and one that supports positive mental wellbeing – and that’s something that money really can’t buy.

Great cultures don’t spring out of nothing. They’re built, piece by piece, by companies that know exactly what elements make an organization’s culture exceptional. When recognition is a daily occurrence, employees express themselves freely, and all team members feel that they belong, your company can tell that its culture is a major strength. Find out how to create this potent cultural mix at your company by prioritizing these five elements of a great organizational culture.

Discover how to cultivate a culture of belonging at your organization

Recognition

Recognition is the single largest contributor to a winning company culture — and the biggest driver of employee engagement to boot. Even in the most difficult times, like those organizations across the world faced while adapting to the new normal, recognition makes team members feel supported and part of a greater whole. Every employee wants to know that their efforts are appreciated. When they do, key performance indicators like employee engagement, productivity, and retention rise.

While some organizations treat recognition as something that is only required for special occasions like anniversary celebrations, this approach fails to make an impact with employees. Instead, work to instill a culture of frequent monetary and social recognition from the top down and the bottom up. Recognizing specific behaviors that align with the culture you want to see is another great tactic. Adopt an employee recognition platform that allows all team members to interact with each others’ recognitions and award redeemable reward points, and your company will be on track to establishing a winning employee recognition program.

Values

You should strive to make your company values a core part of your organizational culture. Start by clearly laying out the values that make your company what it is. Use straightforward language that all employees will easily understand. Then encourage team members to live those values every day. Simply stating this will have little effect, of course, so ensure that you start with training leaders and managers on how to exhibit your company values in their actions consistently. Other team members will soon follow suit.

Employee voice

In organizations with great cultures, employees feel comfortable expressing their true thoughts. Their employers can then analyze this feedback and apply the resulting insights to continually improve business outcomes and the employee experience. Ensure managers know how to encourage and accept feedback from employees while also providing confidential channels for anonymous feedback like pulse surveys and always-on HR chatbots. Then use your employee engagement platform to collate the data, see where opportunities for improvement lie, and guide managers to act on the results collaboratively with their teams.

Leadership

As your leaders go, so goes your business. If your employees believe in their managers and your company’s leadership, you’re set up for success. But if there’s a disconnect, watch out: managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement. There’s truth to the saying that employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Ensure your leaders act as examples in all areas of your company, from recognition to wellness, and emphasize the need to maintain two-way communication with all team members.

Belonging

A sense of belonging is the foundation of any great culture, but developing one requires a multi-prong approach. Organizations prioritize the five pillars of belonging by making employees feel welcomed, known, included, supported, and connected:

• Welcoming employees requires an amazing onboarding process coupled with aligning new employees with your culture from the get go.
• Team members feel known when a company takes the time to solicit honest feedback and then incorporate it into their organizational DNA.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) should be a priority in any organization. Creating employee resource groups (ERGs) is an important part of supporting DEI.
• When employees are empowered to do their best work, recognized for it, and coached rather than micromanaged, they can’t help but feel supported.
• Genuine connections between team members can’t be forced, but a diverse workforce, an accepting and psychologically safe work environment, and team building activities are all great ways to set the stage for strong relationships.

Make culture a priority at your company

Cultural change isn’t an overnight process, but with continuous effort, your organization can make its culture a major strength that attracts great talent and drives business success. Look for solutions like the Achievers Employee Experience Platform that focus on the pillars successful cultures are built on.

It includes Achievers Recognize, a mobile-first employee recognition solution that makes social and monetary recognition easy and engaging for all team members. It also includes access to the Achievers Rewards Marketplace, where employees can redeem reward points for items, experiences, and more from over 2500 brands. And it doesn’t neglect employee voice either thanks to Achievers Listen, a state of the art employee engagement platform scientifically designed to guide your managers from insight to action.

What are the four 4 major elements of organizational culture?

What are the factors that create the organisational culture?

What are the 4 determinants of culture?

What are the 4 types of organizational culture give an example of organizational culture?