It cannot be stressed enough how essential a company’s culture is to the ongoing health and future success of the organization as a whole. While developing a solid and effective company culture can take years of hard work and guidance, the benefits in the long run are easily worth the effort that must go into it. To help companies better determine the strength and efficacy of their own corporate culture, executive search firms have put together this list of ten factors that a well-developed culture should possess.
A Code of Ethics
Any good corporate culture should be founded on a set of ethical and moral values which are shared by the company’s employees and on which all daily activity and decisions can be based. This code will act as a guide not only capable of helping prevent the company from becoming involved in any illicit dealings, it can also benefit the executive search and hiring process by aiding employers in determining whether potential employees will be a good match with the culture in question.
Solidarity
One of the ultimate objectives of any organization should be to create an environment in which their employees never dread coming to work but are excited to do so. One essential component of creating such an environment is the promotion of workplace relationships and camaraderie. This can be done most effectively through the hosting of company events – picnics, happy hours, holiday parties, etc. – in which employees will be more apt to mingle in a social environment outside the pressures of work.
Celebrate Success
Recognizing employees and teams by celebrating their successes is a fundamental aspect of any good business practice as it serves the role of a) showing the employees that the company sees them as more than the sum of their duties, b) keeping morale high by demonstrating that the company is grateful for all their hard work, and c) letting others within the organization see that success is rewarded and providing them a standard for which to strive.
Community
As an extension of the second point, bringing the company’s employees together and getting them involved in the local community through volunteer opportunities and community service will serve not only to further develop bonds among the company’s employees, but also functions to help build the company’s image in the community as well.
Communicate Openly
Central to every aspect of a successful business structure is communication. This can function on a number of levels, from encouraging managers to make time for their employees on an individual basis, as well as holding large periodic meetings in which employees will be able to voice their opinions and ideas about the dealings of the company. The employees should also be kept up to date on current developments and standings. This allows not only for employees to be able to feel as though their input is welcome and valued, but also allows the company to benefit from having a number of minds and ideas for problem solving as well.
Look for the next five points in the corporate culture checklist in the second half of this article.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
