Culture. It’s a nebulous topic and can be hard to pin down, but having a clear set of values can lead to focused and loyal staff. That’s why it’s time you checked your business is in tune.
In the beginning, culture came from the top. As the business grew, the culture evolved, right? So would your key stakeholders – your people, your clients, your suppliers – all identify the same cultural signifiers if you asked them? Some may see culture as wishy-washy, but inconsistencies and poor communication lead to low morale, absenteeism and staff turnover, which in turn impacts on performance. The right culture can seriously boost productivity. These five steps could really hone yours.
Know your culture
First, know your culture. Most, says Gerard Burke, founder and MD of the Your Business Your Future programme, see it as a combination of values, beliefs and assumptions held in common, as well as the physical artefacts, such as office space, dress code and marketing collateral. It’s “what people do when there’s nobody watching”, he says.
Do your core tenets apply to everything and everybody you see about you? Chances are you’ll find anomalies. To know what you’re looking for, consider Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes’ ‘cultural web’ model, suggests Burke. It identifies six factors, which together form The Paradigm, a ‘world view’:
- Organisational structures (eg dictatorial, hierarchical or flat)
- Power structures (eg considerable power and influence may reside in the hands of your PA)
- Control systems (ie how you measure and reward achievement)
- Physical symbols (eg the office lay-out and the jargon staff use)
- Stories and myths (ie anecdotal evidence of assumed values and behaviours, such as what happened at a Christmas party once or someone who went ‘above and beyond’)
- Rituals and routines (ie what happens on a regular basis, how you induct and initiate to reinforce desired behaviours).
Recruit carefully
When you started out your staff probably took on a set of values and behaviours straight from you. As the owner-manager and leader it’s inevitable that you were the principal role model. As the business has grown, others have taken on such a role in the eyes of their juniors. You may not even play an active part in recruitment now.
Think about the words you and your staff use in job ads. By agreeing a set of acceptable terms with your management team relating to skills, knowledge, attitude and behaviour, they’ll be far clearer about what they are looking for. Make sure you’re recruiting in the right places. You may not want everybody to be the same, but if your workforce tend to be graduates and the business has technical requirements, make sure relationships are in place with the right universities or training centres. And when they come for interview, refine the testing and measurement techniques, bringing the tenets of your culture to the fore.
Induct thoroughly
Under ex-boss Jose Mourinho at Chelsea players were required to perform an initiation song. While this may be too crude for your business, do you send a clear message from day one?
Many owner-managers like you spend some time with every new starter, reinforcing values, giving them an overview of the company’s history. Ask questions about perceptions and processes and use the answers. If you want an open culture, make it clear you welcome input and demonstrate that you value it by taking action or giving time to the answers.
Communicate constantly
While your close control dilutes through growth, it’s still possible to communicate your expectations. If you’re not already doing so, ask staff to describe the culture or state the company vision as part of their appraisal form.
The over-arching culture may not apply to every department all the time, where distinct personality types are required and specialisations do develop, such as the heavily goal-oriented sales department. But all this doesn’t mean you can’t use your status occasionally to hammer home messages.
“Some very clever leaders can use symbolic actions to help make the underlying set of values and beliefs more understood and apparent. Take Ralph Halpern. When he merged Burton Group with Debenhams he organised a set-piece entrance – as he walked the floor for the first time staff started applauding,” says Burke.
Keep on top as needs change
Once you’ve honed your culture, don’t stop there. Growth, staff turnover, structural and procedural changes could create kinks in your culture. It’s up to you to keep on top of it – and there are lots of ways to monitor and reinforce your messages.
Carry out a perception audit, 360 degree appraisals, or get an independent agency to take an employee survey. Talk to clients and suppliers informally and get them to tell you how your staff interact with them by checking they’re happy with service levels. Once you are clear about what you have and what you want it’s time to cascade down through the key processes.
Dotted around this are six examples of businesses that have deciphered what matters most to their success. Each has a different focus, and while their cultures may be about more besides, each of the owner-managers interviewed demonstrates that it’s down to you to drive it.