Organizational Culture

Culture is the collective values, beliefs, and behaviors the employees share outside the working relationship, such as rituals, practices, pass-along stories, and myths. The visible part of organizational culture is reflected in the employees’ behavior, while the beliefs, values, and meanings are the unseen aspect that drives the behaviors. A team can strive and have good results in a strong culture, even if the tools available are not the best. Unconsciously, people tend to work with others who share their beliefs, and culture is reinforced and stabilized because individuals will copy, coach, and correct each other to reach a collective comfort zone.

The organizational climate is dictated by a few elements, adaptability, consistency, employee satisfaction, involvement, and mission. Adaptability refers to the acceptance of innovation and knowledge creation. This aspect sustains personal and organizational growth. Consistency refers to the core values and their integration consistently over time. Employees’ satisfaction considers job satisfaction, stability, trust in superiors, and open communication. Involvement refers to team orientation behaviors, job autonomy, and participation in the decision-making process. Lastly, the mission refers to the goal and direction of the organization. All these characteristics affect employees’ behaviors and maintain the cultural environment.

Ideally, you would like to create an adhocracy culture, a diverse and creative organizational culture where inclusiveness and creative ideas are shared without inhibitions. One value that should be espoused is collaboration. The power of working together, exchanging ideas, and sharing perspectives has great value in building an organization’s culture. The relationships built are nurtured outside work tasks and projects, fostering a welcoming, engaging, and inclusive work environment. Employees find support and learn from each other. The culture will reduce collective insecurity and provide continuity, a sense of identity, and a vision for the future.

In this support and person-oriented culture, one could observe two features of collaborations reflected in gatherings for birthday celebrations or life milestones and supporting behaviors towards individuals going through a personal struggle. The assumptions underlying this value are the expectation of moral support and a sense of belongingness. This culture would impact employees through motivation and job satisfaction. The motivation of employees can be stimulated by acknowledging their achievements and providing clear, constructive feedback promoting their growth. Communication supports motivation by ensuring everyone has the necessary information and understands the final desired goals and their purpose. A motivated workforce is driven toward innovation and productivity. Employees in organizations with strong cultures tend to be more satisfied with their job. The goal is to maintain strong, positive work relationships with employees to foster competitive advantage. Encouraging and ethical support from the leadership will reduce stress and facilitate adaptability, which will lead to higher job satisfaction.

A leader’s job is not defined by its title anymore. It is defined by the way he/she connects to people and inspires others. To form a strong culture starts by involving others in discussing procedures, and listening more. To avoid a negative impact, look for themes that seem to dictate the direction of the culture and cultivate a positive attitude in strengthening any weaknesses found in the way (such as slackers or badmouths). Culture and business strategy work hand in hand, and it has to be a continuous feedback loop where employees are engaged in sharing their opinion.