In a recent survey, Dale Carnegie examined the perceptions of senior leaders as they relate to the strength of their own company cultures, beliefs about its importance and impact, and actions they are taking to improve it.
What makes a strong culture? It’s not as simple as many business blogs would suggest. Successful corporate culture is not a mission statement on the wall or merely defined by the work environment you create. Fads like installing a ping pong table, open creative space, or free craft beer is not what makes a great corporate culture. Today, leaders need to provide so much more to create a culture that engages their workforce – they need to have the right attitudes and do the right things to ensure their culture is the right one for the given business environment.
Workplace culture determines how employees see themselves as part of the organization, how they relate to customers, how they interact with authority, approach problem-solving, how they understand the business overall, make strategic decisions, describe their company’s purpose and more.
Corporate culture just may be the most important item on your agenda, but it’s not likely to be a line item on your budget. It is frequently addressed in meetings, but the least actioned upon. Culture is the thing that you do when you have the time or a little extra budget. However, we all know that the right corporate culture provides the foundation for sustainable growth and profit.