Analyse Hilfe corporat­e culture - Christop­her Pradel

3 Tips for Building the Right Corporate Culture

January 10, 2013

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If there’s one thing that I’ve learned, in my ten-plus years as a finance recruiter 1in Toronto, it’s that culture matters. It matters to employees, growing numbers of whom2 are looking to work at companies where they have a real rapport3 with their colleagues and managers.

Compatibility with a company’s work culture and environment, in fact, is becoming just as important a consideration among many jobseekers4 as salary, benefits, and commute, when they’re trying to decide between employers.

But culture matters to employers, too. A positive and impactful5 work culture can raise productivity, employee morale, and retention rates6. I’m not talking about fuzzy7, feel-good stuff here — hiring8 for fit has a real, quantifiable9 ROI10. According to a 2010 Hewitt Associates study of more than 900 organizations globally, companies with high levels of engagement among their employees outperformed11 the total stock market index, posting shareholder returns 19% higher than the average in 2009 (by contrast, companies with low employee engagement reported a shareholder return 44 per cent lower than the average).

In a ruthlessly12 competitive economy, companies are looking for any advantage they can secure over their rivals13. As JetBlue CEO14 Dave Berger has explained, a company’s culture might be the only “trade secret” that can’t be copied or commoditized15. “The hard product…as long as you have a chequebook, [that] can be replicated16,” Berger says. “It’s the culture that can’t be replicated.

It’s how we treat each other. Do we trust each other? Can we push back on each other?” A proprietary17 technology can be imitated, while a star performer can be recruited away by a competitor. But a successful culture? That’s bigger than any single individual or innovation, and can survive them both.

So how do you build a unique and original work culture that motivates people, delivers18 results, and attracts the top talent? How can you, as an employer, make your workplace somewhere your staff are excited to be at — and that others are champing at the bit to join? Here are three pointers to help you build the right culture.

1. Define the culture you want at your company

Every organization has its own unique personality, which is usually a composite19 of its management and staff. JetBlue and Southwest might both be major players in the U.S. airline industry, but their working environments20 are distinctive21; the same applies to Apple and Google, whose corporate cultures and philosophies are as different as night and day.

Iconic companies like these are as well-known among jobseekers for their one-of-a-kind corporate cultures as they are among customers and clients for their inimitable products and services.

In order to sell your company’s culture to candidates and clients alike, you need to be able to say what it is. What are your core values? Brainstorm the things that make your organization tick, and that are vital to the job that you do and the product or services you provide.

That said, some companies and industries will prioritize25 some things over others.

For example, humour and fun are important values here at Clarity Recruitment. We’re serious about our work, but we also like to enjoy ourselves, and that’s something we’ve identified as being integral to our identity as a company — what makes us different from others in the industry.

Take some time to figure out what makes your own outfit unique, or what you’d like to be known for.

2. Display your core values

Once you’ve determined what kind of culture you’re shooting for and the basic values you’d like the organization and its people to embody26, you’ll want to broadcast27 it, to your employees — current and future alike — as well as your customers and partners. Saying that your company’s culture is such-and-such doesn’t necessarily make it so, of course; but constantly repeating and restating it publicly will help to fix it as an ideal in everyone’s minds.

What’s the point of having a great and vibrant culture if you’re not telling all the people you work with — or might hope to work with — about it?

But your values shouldn’t just be committed to print or paper; they should be reflected in the very physical environment, design, and architecture of the company — everything from your office décor to your floor plan. For example, if your goal to promote a more collaborative, team-oriented culture, then you’ll want to provide plenty of shared spaces — meeting rooms and the like — for people to meet and work together.

Look for those who are committed to the same fundamental ideals and exhibit the same personality as the ones you value.

And keep in mind — just because a candidate is qualified for a position doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a good fit for your company. SouthWest Airlines is famous for its philosophy of “hiring for attitude, training for skill,” on the belief that it’s easier to teach new competencies than to break old habits.

The bottom line? If you hire people for what they know, you may very well end up letting them go for who they are — especially if who they are doesn’t jibe41 with who you are, as a company.

Conclusion:

To create the kind of culture that drives value and productivity, and drums up interest from candidates and customers, you need to be something of a “culture warrior42.” Imprinting43 your company’s purpose and values on every facet44 of it requires45 that you remain actively involved and vigilant46 in promoting and preserving47 the kind of culture you envision48 for it — the kind that will boost49 both your bottom line and your employees’ morale.