The Importance of Business Culture
If your organisation had a personality, how would its friends (employee and customers) describe it? Social or professional? A doer or a thinker? Independent or a team-player? Flexible or structured? Cautious or a risk-taker?
These traits can represent the overall company, resonating with the culture the organisation represents. Organisational culture is known to comprise the behaviours and values that define the psychological and social environment of the business.
The most successful company culture leads to a successful business. Take Google as an example, with its employees being among the best while setting the tone for benefits and perks of working in an innovative and fast-paced environment. With a 4.6 star rating on Glassdoor, it’s easy to recognise the implications of having a thriving company culture.
What’s so important about having an organisational culture?
Identity
Culture contributes to how members feel, perceive what they think of the company, whether they are an employee, consumer or stakeholder. With that being said, the members within the organisation also assist in creating the organisational identity, as they play a part in the characteristics and values.
If your corporate culture is one that prioritizes a hierarchy oriented culture, meeting goals efficiently and in the right manner might be a priority. Therefore, your consumer will most likely be seeking this and employees will presumably be able to deliver on what’s at stake. Without establishing the identity of the organisation, it’s difficult to assist employees in maintaining direction, while keeping your business’ values coherent.
Image
Chances are if you treat your employees with decency and respect and offer a positive corporate atmosphere, they will treat your organisation in the same manner. This assists in not only developing an organisational identity but in creating an image for your brand.
The type of organisational culture your customers perceive from your image will most likely attract your target audience. If prospects observe you as a forward and generous brand, this could potentially bring in more sales and build customer loyalty.
Retention
Positive company culture is known to attract talent, and more importantly, keep the talent. Employee turnover is costly. From the stage of recruitment it is essential to define your business’ values and cultural beliefs, therefore your applicants should hopefully share these.
People are more likely to stick around long term when they feel appreciated by the company, whether they are an employee or consumer. They’re more likely to stay around, resulting in spending less time and costs on hiring or attracting new individuals, as well as members having better chemistry within your brand.
How can you showcase your organisational culture?
Organisational culture in the digital age can be extremely powerful.
Social media should not just be an external focus, as our internal customers, otherwise known as employees can assist in displaying the culture of the company they work for on social media.
Experiences employees have in their workplace may often be displayed online, and businesses should encourage it. For example, if an employee shared an image or a couple of sentences of a positive action within their workplace it can significantly impact how other people outside think and feel about the organisation.
It’s also important to note that the most successful companies, like Google, should revisit its corporate culture to ensure they’re meeting their growing business’ needs. Companies with strong cultures who constantly evolve their organisational culture tend to be more successful.
What would people say about the culture of your organisation? Have you utilised the digital tools of today to perpetuate your company’s culture? Greenfish Marketing can help you with this! Get in contact with our team today.
