Developing Company Culture

by Don Tyler, Tyler & Associates

Louis Gerstner was the CEO for IBM in the 1990’s when the company needed a major transformation to adapt to a revolutionary business environment. He was quoted in Jim Collin’s new book, “How the Mighty Fall”, to say, “I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game—it is the game.”

Culture Defined

“Company Culture” refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards and beliefs that characterize members of an organization and define its nature. It is rooted in the organization’s vision, goals, strategies and structure. The essence of the company’s culture is not contained in a document, but is instead realized in the social and working atmosphere seen in the day-to-day interactions between coworkers, leaders and the customers they serve.

A well established culture provides many benefits including a clear understanding of appropriate and inappropriate behavior, a vision that is fully comprehended by everyone, simplified decision-making, and employees that are engaged and empowered.

It is important to realize that just because one or two people in your organization exhibit unhealthy characteristics, it does not mean that your culture needs to be revamped. Instead, your culture is in trouble if these traits are found throughout your organization.

As we strive to revamp our culture we first have to remove some common barriers that get in the way of our efforts to achieve the culture we desire. Immaturity, bigotry, biases, lack of support from superiors, inconsistency, a lack of vision, poor accountability, inequity and those “Lone Rangers” who are only interested in their own agenda have to be overcome before true progress can take place. We cannot establish our desired culture until the negative drivers of that inappropriate atmosphere are eliminated.

Define Your Values

As you are working to remove barriers you can also begin to define your desired culture. The first step is to define the core values that you and your employees feel are the most appropriate for your business. Talk to your employees one-on-one to glean their thoughts on what they would like to see in the culture. Ask what they feel is currently positive in the culture, and what they would like to see improved. Compile those values and begin the process of communicating them consistently throughout the organization. (Refer to Feedlot Magazine, August 2009, “Communicating Your Core Values”)

Additional Action Steps

1. In your day-to-day conversations with employees as well as in your regular staff meetings, reinforce the positive, desirable parts of the culture. Communicate your values. Provide examples of the behaviors and expressions of the core values you want reinforced.
2. Identify and immediately correct behaviors that are counter to your desired culture—on the spot. Use them as training opportunities.
3. Bring in local speakers from respected organizations to talk about their culture. Provide other speakers that can teach other key areas such as safety, health and well-being, communications, relationships, personal finances, etc.
4. Provide rewards and recognition for positive changes. Have company picnics, family outings, give away company products or gifts from vendors, etc. for those teams and individuals who help move the culture in the right direction.

Remember, your culture is as obvious as the way every person in the company answers the phone—and as embedded as the comments made behind closed doors in Board Meetings. Your culture is already known throughout the local area. Be sure it reflects the characteristics you desire.

For a complete handout on this topic and a worksheet for developing your culture, e-mail Don at don@dontyler.com.