Dive Brief:
- The majority of workers believe business culture has a direct impact on organizational success, according to a new study by Eagle Hill Consulting. Culture particularly influences job performance, as 77% agree a strong culture allows them to do their best work; 76% see the impact in productivity and efficiency; and another 74% draw a correlation between culture and their ability to serve their customer base.
- Culture also has a large impact on employees' commitment to achieve company goals, ability to be innovative and creative and to their commitment to ethical behaviors, the study revealed.
- But only about a quarter of respondents said their organization has a strong culture based on core values; a similar amount said they trust their leadership at the executive level. On the upside, the data also shows that most employees are happy at work, feel connected to their colleagues and are comfortable being their authentic selves in the workplace.
Dive Insight:
With so much discussion about company perks present today, employers may forget that culture's real intent is to create an environment that enables employees to do their best work. A strong culture can help a company thrive in a tough environment; Ace Hardware credits culture for its success in a retail space that has seen bankruptcy after bankruptcy, its CHRO said in an interview.
Strong, trusted leadership is required for a strong culture — but control may not be an aspect of good leadership, Marriott's executive vice president and global CHRO said during a talk at Workhuman 2019. To really see success, leaders need to hand over culture control to employees. Values can be decided at a high-level, but employees on the front-lines often know best how to execute, he said.
Businesses also can create cultures of recognition for employees and set agendas that further a mission, instilling a sense of pride that translates beyond the workplace. HR pros play a key role and can make positive messaging, rewards for furthering cultural goals and a "walk the talk" attitude central to how personnel issues are approached.
Technology can reinforce the culture, too, experts say. "Technology offers an opportunity to make sure that the organization’s intentions for the kind of culture it wants are communicated with regularity," Jordan Birnbaum, VP and chief behavioral economist at ADP, previously told HR Dive. "If a company establishes that collaboration is important, how do you support it? What tools facilitate it?"