A corporate culture refers to the beliefs and behaviors that define how people (employees) interact with one another within an organization. It also touches on how they conduct business decisions outside of the organization. The culture is typically built around core, company defined ideologies, values and it often adapts to the collective traits of newly hired employees over time.
We all know organizations that produce/provide a very successful product or service to the marketplace, but inside the walls, the culture makes it an extremely challenging place to work. With that said, it is fair to say that it is in every organization’s best interest to develop a positive corporate culture. In return, your employees will communicate better, be more productive, and have a genuine desire to be there and succeed.
But developing a positive corporate culture does not just happen overnight, nor should it change year after year. It should be treated as a long-term commitment, or rather an investment by the organization.
Like a successful real estate project, an organization’s culture needs (3) important things:
- A solid foundation.
- The right materials.
- A strategic asset management plan.
A solid foundation is an organization that has well-defined, inspiring core values and ideologies for the organization.
The right materials, or the right people, have been hired into this organization.
A strategic asset management plan is when the organization provides the resources for employees to be empowered to grow and succeed.
At the end of the day, it really boils down to one critical resource: Your People.
Hire the right People, who will put the foundation in place to attract the right People, who will put the systems in place to retain the right People.