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We hear a lot about a company's culture, but what determines culture, and why is it important? In our recent research on retention, the issue of "healthy culture" came up often. Random House defines culture as the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular group. Corporate culture is the sum of the formal and informal behaviors that a company adopts as their way of doing business. The formal side will include written statements of value, such as respect for individuals, and a written organizational chart. The informal side deals with how work gets done--whether through written procedures or by circumventing those, how employees treat one another, how willing they are to share ideas and information, and how the hierarchy allows employees to cross "turf" boundaries to get work done. Highly structured hierarchical organizations are quick to reinforce boundaries of position, often slowing processes. Conversely, teams who can address issues, and form "snap-in" temporary teams to address roadblocks, can move work more efficiently, and enhance systems in the process. Corporate culture filters through to customers and vendors. An employee who feels undervalued and frustrated will project that to customers and coworkers. We've all experienced "unhealthy" culture, whether as customers or employees. In the former, we may get the opportunity to wait to be acknowledged by a sales clerk while they look up a phone number. In the latter, we may have experienced the down side of the company rumor mill. Either way, we're dealing with people who are aren't giving their best to the business. A healthy culture is the result of several aspects that are aligned toward common goals: Human Resource Policy- Policies and systems need to be consistent with the stated goals.
Approximate Word count = 1046
Approximate Pages = 4.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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