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5 ways for leaders to create a positive culture at work

Posted by Perceptive Insights Team - 06 April, 2015

Company culture is a critical part of creating a successful organisation, which boosts employee engagement and keeps employees retained and happy.

As Peter Drucker (the famous management consultant, educator, and author) once said, “Culture eats strategy for lunch”. A great culture is one where people behave in positive ways, even when no-one is looking. When the culture is aligned with the objectives of the whole business, it’s a recipe for success.

These are five techniques that many business leaders have used to find success in this arena.

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1. Assess people fit with cultural values

The recruitment process is a critical part of how you ensure the culture is right. Watching out for not only a candidate’s technical capacity, but also their emotional capacity to care about the job, is essential. You can teach people technical skills, but you can’t teach them to care.

An example is Zappos, a company that prides itself on culture as a strategy, which uses its ten core company values to assess people in the early stages of the application process. By getting to know candidates well, (through online and phone meetings) before people even apply for jobs, Zappos can assess cultural fit. This has helped them maintain a high level of engagement, a low turnover, and its place among one of the best customer-service providers in online retail.1

 

2. Build an inspired workspace

Creating a healthy culture where people are encouraged to communicate and share knowledge, all starts with the workplace.

Today, businesses have to be nimble and agile, so having an open workspace helps. An open plan office with features such as large open spaces, green plants, couches and cozy break-out areas, big windows, inviting kitchens and convenient facilities like showers and bicycle parking all encourage a positive and welcoming atmosphere. 

 

3. Encourage creativity

A creative culture is one where innovation is encouraged and new ideas transpire and flow easily. Be a company that rewards innovation, by creating time and space for creativity. Allow flexibility in terms of time and location of work, which makes for engaged employees.

Encourage free-thinking by making sure everyone knows their opinions are appreciated and validated. It’s okay to disagree and in fact it’s what companies need to progress and make sure all different perspectives are taken into account. Even having big white boards for people to draw mind maps and brainstorm ideas around is a fun way to encourage a creative space.

 

4. Provide regular, constructive feedback

Continuous and constructive feedback is important for employees to know that the standards you have set are important to your culture.

Employees need to understand what they're doing right or wrong so that they can do more of it or adjust quickly. Feedback eliminates the guesswork and puts the focus on finding opportunities to improve and grow.

As a leader, it is up to you to be on your employees' side by clearly communicating where they stand, and how they can be better and be a part of the business for the long term.

 

5. Lead with integrity

Whether intentionally or not, as a business leader, you set the tone for the culture. In order for the culture to be what you want it to be, you need to actively take charge of it. The danger is that if you don’t, employees will formulate their own norms, values and beliefs, which may be the opposite of what you are striving towards, and this can have disastrous consequences. When you as a leader embody the cultural values you champion, employees will follow suit.

A way of doing this is to articulate your purpose and vision for the business. The first step is knowing your corporate identity and building a language to communicate it to your team. Once everyone understands who you are as a business and what your purpose is, make your work environment align with your values.

 

Want to learn more about how to boost employee engagement? Check out our free ebook!

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 1. Deloitte, 2015 

Topics: Customer Experience, Employee Experience


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