July 14, 2020
Regardless of your industry or business size, having a great company culture is crucial for attracting and retaining talent as well as making your brand more attractive to customers, clients, investors, etc. Company culture is an intangible asset that many of the biggest brands accredit to their success.
“Why is culture so important to a business? Here is a simple way to frame it. The stronger the culture, the less corporate process a company needs. When the culture is strong, you can trust everyone to do the right thing.”
Company culture will look different from business to business, however, there are four things that all great company cultures share. Let’s dive in!
What is Company Culture?
Before we discuss how to create a company culture, let’s first define it. According to the Harvard Business Review, ‘company culture’ is what…
“guides discretionary behavior and it picks up where the employee handbook leaves off. Culture tells us how to respond to an unprecedented service request. It tells us whether to risk telling our bosses about our new ideas, and whether to surface or hide problems. Employees make hundreds of decisions on their own every day, and culture is our guide. Culture tells us what to do when the CEO isn’t in the room, which is of course most of the time.”
To sum it up, company culture is the shared ethos of a company. When a company doesn’t have a strong, positive company culture, employees are more likely to feel directionless, unmotivated, nervous, anxious, and more.
Fortunately, there are things that both startups and established businesses can do to improve their company culture.
4 Elements of a Great Company Culture
Even within the same industry, a business’s company culture can look much different from its peers. However, all great company cultures share these four essential elements.
1. Hire People Who Fit the Culture
While it’s important that potential hires have the necessary skills and experience to perform their job, it’s equally important that they’re the right fit for the company culture. Make sure your interview process is set up in a way that properly screens candidates so you don’t inadvertently hire a toxic employee.
2. Employees Understand the Values and Mission
If employees don’t understand the company’s values and mission, it’ll be an uphill battle trying to create a great company culture. First, make sure that your values and mission are clear. Second, share and reinforce the values and mission with your employees so they’re on board and know what to work towards.
3. Open Exchange of Ideas
Employees want to have their voices heard and be able to make an impact. However, as the company grows, employee freedom can be stifled by hierarchy. Great ideas can come from anywhere which is why some of the most well-known brands were able to achieve their level of success because they listened to their employees.
4. Team Atmosphere
Along similar lines of open exchange, a great company culture is one where employees feel like they’re on the same team. Departments can sometimes create division and an “us vs. them” mentality but at the end of the day, everyone should be working together, encouraging each other, and communicating regularly.
Digital Marketing That Supports Culture
Creating a great company culture is crucial for every business, but it’s not always easy to implement and follow through. However, with these four essential elements, you should have a clearer idea of how to create a company culture that will benefit your employees and brand.
In addition to creating a company culture, it’s important that your digital marketing strategy complements it. Sales & Marketing Technologies is a full-service digital marketing agency in the Orlando, Florida area that helps businesses achieve the goals in a way that aligns and supports their company culture.
Call 407.682.2222 or contact us below for a free 30-minute call to discuss digital marketing solutions!
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