Organization Culture

Organization culture

What are the constituents of an organizational culture? There are many. A successful organization is more than just the sum total of its systems, processes and people. It should believe it is more than the products it manufactures / the services it provides and more than the revenues it generates. It should define itself by the values it keeps and the culture it is building.

The culture is always created, implemented, and nurtured by the top management. From the top, it percolates down the line in the organization. The culture has to take many aspects into account and the most important ones are: legal, human, and technical. Refer the table below.

While developing your culture, try to answer all the aspects in the table above. If you put your heart into it and try earnestly, you will create a fantastic culture. To make people understand your culture and get adopted to it, you can define certain values. Those values should be your guiding lights on your path to success. No one should deviate from those values.

As a guidance, seven possible values are given below.

1.Open Atmosphere

•       Create easy access for all across levels and functions.

•       Foster a willingness to listen and change, to give and accept feedback.

•       Encourage people to question, disagree, criticize and suggest improvements.

Such openness can lead to improvement only in a disciplined environment where people conform to rules, processes and performance norms.

2. Outstanding Teamwork

•       Is the result of being individually and collectively responsible for the organization as a whole.

•       A high level of teamwork takes place when there is inspired leadership, clarity of individual roles and a constant flow of communication and knowledge across the network.

3. Respect for the Individual

•       Every individual is important and deserves to be treated equally. (Individuals are different but they are equal)

•       Acknowledge the role and contribution of every individual.

•       Such a work philosophy means that individuals are inspired and enrolled to produce extraordinary results, rather than managed and motivated.

4. Pride in Work

•       Drives pursuit of perfection.

•       Be it a proposal, an e-mail or a report, every task is an opportunity to demonstrate our attention to detail and our commitment to quality.

•       This pride energizes us to innovate and multiply value for customers.

5. Long-term Relationship

•       Invest in relationships with your customers, team members, partners and shareholders to create substantial value for these stakeholders.

•       Commit to relationships that are synergistic and long-term.

•       Do not compromise the interests of stakeholders for expedient, short-term considerations.

6. Customer Intimacy

•       Relationships are not merely long-term; they are intimate.

•       Strive to achieve a deep sense of alignment with all stakeholders through an intense awareness of their vision and an undertaking to fulfill their vision.

•       Customer Intimacy is characterized by careful listening, an accurate assessment of the realities and opportunities, and a commitment to identify the critical levers to create a winning proposition.

7. Commitment to Results

•       Your environment must foster a winning attitude where leaders are accountable for delivering exemplary performance through their teams.

•       Personal growth and development come from making larger and larger commitments and consistently delivering them.

If you create and maintain a fantastic culture, people will love to work for you and the attrition rate will be almost zero.

Remember: Creating and maintaining a fantastic culture is not easy. It requires a very big heart and consideration towards employees.