Organizational culture refers to the unwritten values, beliefs, and norms that guide employee behavior within a company. A strong, positive work culture is linked to many benefits for both employees and employers including increased job satisfaction, loyalty, collaboration, innovation, and business performance. However, many companies struggle with issues like low morale, siloed departments, and a lack of trust that undermine culture. Improving work culture requires conscious effort from leadership to shape values, communicate well, empower staff, and foster connection.
Today we will explore research-backed strategies and specific examples for assessing culture and making incremental, sustainable improvements.
Assessing Current Culture
To effectively improve culture, leaders must first understand the existing issues and opportunities. Candid assessment lays the groundwork for targeted strategies. Several evaluation methods can be utilized:
Surveys: Anonymous surveys allow a pulse check on morale, values alignment, team dynamics, communication, and more. Questions should assess both positives and opportunities.
Focus groups: Qualitative feedback from small group discussions provides deeper insight than surveys alone. Meetings with different levels/departments uncover unique perspectives.
Exit interviews: For departing employees, structured interviews identifying "what kept them/what drove them away" illuminates cultural strengths and weaknesses.
Observations: Leadership rounds and casual observations of employee interactions, workspace, meetings, etc. reveal what the lived culture truly looks and feels like day-to-day versus stated values.
Strengthening Core Values
With assessment complete, organizations should clarify the values that will guide improvement efforts. Foundational values set cultural norms and expectations for behavior. To be meaningful, values must be:
Specific and action-oriented: Vague values like "integrity" are difficult to exemplify; more targeted values like "do the right thing, even when no one is watching" are easier to operationalize.
Consistently modeled by leadership: "Do as I say, not as I do" undermines any value system. Leaders must embody the values daily through their own actions and decision-making.
Communicated and reinforced regularly: Values posted on a wall gather dust if not continually referenced and demonstrated in meetings, projects, reviews, and company communications. Rewards and recognition should reflect exemplified values.
Empowering and Developing Employees
A culture where employees feel ownership, supported development, and work-life balance inspires engagement and discretionary effort. Leaders can foster empowerment through:
Participative decision-making: Including diverse perspectives in strategic conversations utilizing techniques like design thinking builds buy-in and shared responsibility for outcomes.
Training and development opportunities: On-the-job and formal programs equip staff with new knowledge and skills to do their best work and advance professionally on their terms.
Work flexibility: Within reason, accommodating alternative schedules, remote work, and personal responsibilities wherever feasible demonstrates trust and care for whole-person wellbeing.
Appreciation and recognition: Beyond bonuses or perks, daily interpersonal acknowledgment of contributions, big and small, affirms individual value and fosters psychological safety.
Fostering Collaboration & Connection
Interdepartmental silos, office politics, and "us vs. them" mentalities are toxic to culture. Leaders must intentionally bring people together across divides. Some tactics include:
Cross-functional projects: Collaborative work breaking down silos boosts innovation, relationship-building, and broader organizational understanding.
Social events: Regular all-staff mixers with spouses/partners promote informal connections that translate to professional cooperation and understanding different viewpoints.
Community involvement: Executing volunteer projects together outside of work deepens bonds through shared experiences tackling real challenges that matter to the greater good.
With consistency over time, the strategies above can shift unsupportive elements embedded in an existing culture toward a more empowering, collaborative environment where people naturally bring their best selves to work each day for the benefit of all.
Communicating Vision and Values Effectively
Once assessment clarifies cultural strengths and weaknesses, and strategies are selected to enact positive change, clear communication is essential. Leaders must:
Articulate the "why": Sharing the motivations and expected outcomes of cultural efforts builds buy-in for undergoing the journey together.
Tell success stories: Highlighting specific examples of employee behaviors exemplifying core values makes aspirations tangible and inspiring.
Promote two-way dialogue: Open forums, suggestion boxes, and routine check-ins keep communication channels flowing in all directions to incorporate diverse perspectives.
Lead by example: Walking the talk daily, showing vulnerability when mistakes are made, and modeling desired behaviors is the most powerful communication of all.
Authentic, consistent messaging thoughtfully implemented can realize the full potential in any cultural vision by empowering all stakeholders to actively contribute.
A Case Study: Enacting Change at a Global Consulting Firm
ABC Consulting faced issues including high turnover in junior roles, siloed regional offices lacking cohesion, and lackluster employee engagement scores. Leadership committed to evaluating and strengthening culture. Initially:
Anonymous global surveys assessed values alignment, communication, work-life integration and more, uncovering disconnects between leadership talk and staff experiences.
Focus groups with different levels/functions found themes like a "people pleasing" atmosphere inhibiting candid feedback.
Armed with insights, ABC clarified core values of courage, care, and candor. Leaders modeled these openly in communications and decision-making. Cross-regional networking events brought dispersed teams together informally. Training expanded developmental opportunities. Flexible work policies demonstrated trust.
Two years later, surveys show increased engagement, belonging, and trust. Turnover reduced. Offices now seamlessly collaborate on global clients. Refining culture sustainably transformed ABC's experience and performance for the better.
Conclusions and Key Takeaways
A strong organizational culture delivers myriad competitive advantages, yet lasting improvement requires dedicated effort over time. The research and practices discussed provide a framework for leaders to build on existing strengths, remedy weaknesses, and sculpt an empowering culture where people and business mutually thrive. In summary:
Candidly assess current realities before embarking on positive cultural change.
Clarify foundational values that align aspirations with behaviors.
Empower staff through participation, development support, flexibility and appreciation.
Foster collaboration intentionally bridging divides.
Communicate purpose and progress authentically via dialogue.
Iteratively refine approaches, learn from missteps, and model the way.
Culture shapes how work feels—leaders must craft an environment where people want to contribute their best. With patience and perseverance, the strategies here can help any organization enhance engagement, performance and shared success through a supportive culture celebrated by all.
References
Fisher, T. A. (2017). The importance of culture in organizational studies. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 21(1), 1-10.
Fiorita, A. C. N., Bozeman, D. P., Young, A., & Meurs, J. A. (2007). Organizational Commitment, Human Resource Practices, and Organizational Characteristics. Journal of Managerial Issues, 19(2), 186-207.
Glassdoor. (2020, April 30). The State of the American Workplace. https://www.glassdoor.com/research/state-of-american-workplace/
Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Hayes, T. L. (2002). Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(2), 268–279. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.2.268
Schein, E. H. (1984). Coming to a new awareness of organizational culture. Sloan Management Review, 25(2), 3-16.
Sorenson, S. (2013). How Employee Engagement Drives Growth. Gallup Business Journal. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236927/employee-engagement-drives-growth.aspx
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
