Corporate culture is a determining factor in the success or failure of a company as it directly influences the attitude and performance of its employees.
The culture is defined as “the set of beliefs, values, The ”values, customs and practices of a group of people who make up an organisation". They convey to employees a sense of identity that facilitates cohesion among all members of the company.
These are the 4 characteristics that a corporate culture must have in order to provide its own personality and boost the performance of its employees:
1. Employees fit in with the established corporate culture.
Corporate culture is the guide on which all employee-related matters, including recruitment, are based. In order to maintain the uniqueness and personality it offers organisations, HR departments should always keep it in mind when recruiting new talent.
Eric Sinoway created a classification to identify employees who help or harm a company's corporate culture:
- Stars: are employees who are able to meet the objectives set in the right way, i.e. in accordance with the established organisational culture. They are the ideal employees for companies.
- Powers: their ways and values fit with corporate culture. However, they need to improve their performance. With training and support, such employees will become stars.
- Zombies: Such employees fail on both counts. They neither fit in with the organisational culture nor do they perform as expected. Obviously, they have no future in the company and they can drag their colleagues down in achieving objectives. Fortunately, their ability to damage the corporate culture is limited.
- Vampires: are a threat to the organisation. Although these employees are highly effective in their performance and achieve their goals easily, they do not do so according to the dictates of the corporate culture and are a real danger to the stability of the working environment.
2. Employees are aligned with the company's mission.
A crucial element in corporate culture is the company's mission. If an employee is not committed to the company's mission, his or her motivation will be lower and performance will be limited. Conversely, when an employee is aligned with the company's mission, his or her commitment will increase his or her performance, positively affecting the outcome of the entire organisation.
Although HR professionals have the resources to filter out those candidates who, a priori, fit with the corporate values, it takes time to assess whether an employee is truly aligned with these values.
You may be interested to read: How to create a good working environment
3. Employees have autonomy and freedom to make decisions.
Employee freedom tends to shrink as companies grow. Over time, workers prefer to simply show up for work, follow orders and leave on time. Their commitment to the company as a whole, its goals and mission will be zero, reducing the likelihood of success.
Fortunately, not all workers fall into this apathy and decide that their work should have meaning. This has a direct and positive effect: they are able to contribute ideas and make the right decisions without depending on their managers. In other words, they have a high degree of autonomy that boosts performance and commitment to the company.
A good corporate culture should recognise, facilitate and enhance the autonomy and freedom of employees to make decisions that benefit the organisation as a whole.
4. Employees working as a team
Companies where employees do not see themselves as a team are bound to fail.
To understand this, you only need to watch a football match, for example. The team works towards a common goal, works together to achieve it, encourages each other and communicates effectively. Each member of the team is indispensable and works for the whole, not for himself.
A great corporate culture must unite all employees and make them see that they are part of a whole. Only by moving in the same direction can success be achieved.
Without these 4 characteristics, a company's corporate culture will not meet its objectives. Ensuring that these conditions are met will benefit the company's bottom line in both the short and long term.
