It's the fundamental foundations of the success for any business – getting it right, embedding across the business with the right energy and passion and identifying early any red flags requiring you as the leader to set about on a ‘course correction' plan. 
 
Below is an extract from an article I came across when scanning some great materials on Insights Discovery and I hope you find it interesting.


What is organisational culture?

We all know it's something we should care about, but what do we actually mean when we talk about organisational culture? There are a variety of definitions to draw on, and they mostly circle around the same key touchpoints of shared values, purpose, customs, beliefs, and behaviours.

 

Organisational culture shapes and informs how a business looks and feels, underpinning everything from how employees communicate with each other day to day, to how strategic goals are decided, to how the corporate accounts show up on social media. It's also not a static thing. As a company continues to evolve and grow its culture will grow with it – or that's the theory at least.

 

However, when we talk about culture like this – and even when we call it ‘organisational culture' – it almost sounds like it's someone else's responsibility. HR, team leaders, c-suite – tick where appropriate, right?

 

Actually, that's a misconception. Company culture is the sum of its parts. It's all of our responsibility and, within reason, we can all play a part in shaping it. That's not to say CEOs can pass the buck, absolutely not. But small things can, and do, lead to big things.

 

So why does organisational culture matter?

It's not just an aside to the important stuff, it's a key component of your business.

 

Culture connects the dots across the whole of your business. Performance, employee engagement, and all of the other big guns are supported and enhanced by having a strong organisational culture. If you get that right then there's every chance the rest will follow.

 

Here are just a few examples as to why organisational culture matters;

  • Strong culture leads to increased employee engagement.
  • Good culture correlates with performance.
  • Poor culture leads to increased turnover.

 

Why organisational culture is about empathy

Our final point on organisational culture is this: it's really about empathy. It needs action, yes, in terms of activating independent reviews, regular ‘temperature checks' with teams, exit interviews, and so on. But what all of these things boil down to is developing a better understanding of your people. Walking in their shoes. Feeling what they feel. Understanding their truth. Great organisational culture needs empathy for the experience of employees, so while the first point is about gathering that data the next is about really hearing it – and acting with empathy.

 

A good note to end on is probably that famous quote from Maya Angelou. “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” People may not always enjoy every single aspect of their experience in your organisation, but if you make them feel listened to, safe, supported, empowered, and able to make a positive difference then they will remember that. That's why organisational culture matters.

 

If you would like to find out how we at SRW can support you in building engaged teams, leaders and individuals through the power of self-awareness, do get in touch today!