Well, it’s almost unanimous. Some 94% of entrepreneurs and 88% of job seekers say that a healthy culture at work is vital for success. Armed with those kinds of numbers, it’s pretty clear that forging and maintaining top-notch corporate culture should always be a high priority. But, what exactly is corporate culture? How can we tangibly measure it and—all importantly—how do we super-charge it, so that our businesses can thrive and prosper?
Defining Corporate Culture
Well, to get down to the nitty-gritty of it all, corporate culture—sometimes also known as organizational culture—encompasses an organization’s values, vision, ethics, work environment, practices, and behaviors. Together, these many facets can make a company stand out; either creating a welcoming or repellent space for employees, and helping to influence public perception for better or worse.
When a business achieves outstanding corporate culture, the results will not only appear upon the smiling faces of its engaged and happy employees, but also in the attraction of high-caliber recruits, the capacity for innovation, the cohesion of teams, and ultimately in surging profits. In contrast, when corporate culture stagnates and festers, it can become a breeding ground for employee misconduct, floundering brand image, high turnover, workplace theft, and even costly litigation. Yikes—best avoided, then.
Indicators of Strong Corporate Culture
Challengingly, building corporate culture isn’t a case of following a cookie-cutter template. Every business is unique, and pursuing fantastic workplace culture shouldn’t come at the cost of what makes it so. Instead, whatever the personality of your brand and energy of your organization, the following can be found as markers of great corporate culture—qualities that mold to fit the central company character that incorporates them:
- A broad culture of trust and respect
- The regular expression of appreciation
- High efficiency and performance
- Strong multi-directional communication
- Resilience in the face of challenge
- Team collaboration and cohesion
Indicators of Corporate Culture in Crisis
When corporate culture begins to crash and burn, it can be easy to miss the signs. However, when that crisis reaches an advanced stage, there will likely be no area of your business that remains unaffected. If concerned about the corporate culture within your organization, keep an eye out for early indications of the following pervasive issues:
- Poor timekeeping
- A decline in performance
- Escalating workplace theft
- Communication silos
- Workplace bullying or harassment
- High staff turnover
- The emergence of workplace cliques
- Absenteeism or malingering
- Incidents of fraud or white-collar crime
What To Do When Corporate Culture Gets Off Track
For any business that wants to stay ahead of the competition and attract the very best talent, shining a spotlight on corporate culture is a must. In fact, 86% of job seekers will avoid a company with a bad reputation, but the caliber of candidates that a strong corporate culture attracts can generate a 33% increase in revenue. So, what do you do if some of those warning signs above are starting to appear?
A great place to start is with a Corporate Culture Audit. By making a sweeping assessment of all of the factors that both comprise and influence corporate culture, you’ll be far better equipped to identify strengths and weaknesses, and make a plan to move forwards. The undertaking of improving corporate culture must be approached with authenticity—it requires a proactive approach to addressing all aspects that are damaging team morale, and the establishment of new patterns of behavior and attitudes. This will ensure that any progress made becomes a solid foundation for the next step forwards.
Here at Lauth Investigations International, we take great pride in providing specialist assistance to businesses aiming to assess, improve, or triage their corporate culture. Our comprehensive Corporate Culture Audit serves as a health-check for contemporary businesses, and we are also ready to provide investigative assistance if any workplace misconduct or criminality is uncovered over the course of the process. Most importantly, our seasoned experts lay out a clear road-map for the corporate culture transformation you desire. Discover more about this unique service, or contact our team today to learn more.