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.
La 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 to contribute its own personality and enhance the performance of its workers:
1. Employees fit in with the established corporate culture.
Corporate culture is the guide on which any employee-related matter, including recruitment, is based. In order to maintain the uniqueness and personality that 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 shapes and values fit with the corporate culture. However, they need to improve their performance. With training and support, these types of employees will become stars.
– Zombies: This type of employee fails in both aspects. They neither fit into the organisational culture nor does their performance meet expectations. Obviously, they have no future in the company and can hold back their colleagues in achieving objectives. Fortunately, their capacity to damage the corporate culture is limited.
Vampires. They are a threat to the organisation. Even though these employees are highly effective in their performance and achieve their objectives easily, they do not do so following the dictates of the corporate culture, posing a real danger to the stability of the work environment.
2. That employees are aligned with the company's mission
A crucial element of corporate culture is the company's mission. If an employee is not committed to the company's mission, their motivation will be lower and their performance limited. Conversely, when an employee is aligned with the company's mission, their commitment will increase their performance, positively affecting the entire organisation's outcome.
Although HR professionals have resources to filter out candidates who, at first glance, fit the corporate values, the truth is that it takes time to assess whether an employee is genuinely aligned with them.
You may be interested to read: How to create a good working environment
3. Employees have autonomy and freedom to make decisions
Employee freedom often dwindles as companies grow. Over time, workers simply prefer to turn up, follow orders, and leave on time. Their commitment to the company as a whole, its objectives and its mission will be nil, reducing the chances of success.
Fortunately, not all workers fall into this apathy and decide that their work must have meaning. This has a direct and positive effect: they are able to contribute ideas and make correct decisions without depending on their managers. That is to say, they have a high degree of autonomy that enhances performance and commitment to the company.
A good corporate culture should recognise, facilitate and empower such autonomy and freedom for employees to make decisions that benefit the organisation as a whole.
4. Employees working as a team
Companies where their employees don't see themselves as a team are doomed to fail.
To understand this, you only need to watch a football match, for example. The team works towards a common goal, they work together to achieve it, they encourage each other and communicate effectively. Each team member is indispensable and works for the collective, not for themselves.
A great corporate culture must unite all its employees and make them feel part of a whole. Only by going in the same direction can success be reaped.
Without these four characteristics, a company's corporate culture will fail to meet its objectives. Ensuring these conditions are met will benefit the company's bottom line in both the short and long term.
