Organisational culture is more than people getting together and having a song and dance. It defines, promotes and nurtures policy, discipline, accountability and performance encouraging physical work environment and it’s created by all of the programs, communications, and behaviour within your organisation — not to mention your business goals and values. But building good organisational culture takes a long time and hard effort.
At your organisation, you may have thought a lot about the quality of products you are manufacturing, the way you will grow market share by winning customers, and the people you hire. Rightly so - these are critical ways to sustain your business. Equally important — but often overlooked — is organisational culture.
But what if we told you that great company culture is the secret sauce that takes your team from good to great?
The core
Organisational culture is the very core of a company. It refers to the practical and pervasive implementation of norms, best practices, ideals, and shared values within your company in perfect collaboration. The amount of monetary and non-monetary value is enormous but what percentage of Sri Lankan leaders clearly understand this?
Organisational culture “is not about beer on Friday evening.” Culture connects dots in the value chain. Business goals, values, people and their touch points.
Investing in organisational culture and leadership where team members can thrive, engage with work, and feel supported is exactly what contributes to business success. Good culture drives cross functional engagement and increases organisation-wide performance.
With the right culture and values you can: Build team-oriented practices so your team can get their best work done. Reduce friction so team members can identify and execute high-impact projects. Ensure all team members feel welcome in your organisation, regardless of new or old, gender, appearance, race, and identity.
Connect everything back to your organisation’s mission, so everyone understands why their work is a critical piece of the puzzle. It establishes aims, goals and standards for teamwork and collaboration across your organisation.
Building shared values — and living those values — is the bedrock of good corporate culture. Values describe how group members should treat one another, how employees can expect to be treated, and what core values everyone at the company shares.
It’s important to note that you shouldn’t merely create top-down values, but instead give your team an opportunity to co-create cultural values. like your company itself, your company’s values should be living, dynamic ideals that your team members believe in. Building a diverse workforce isn’t just the right thing to do — it actually gives your team a competitive advantage.
An inclusive culture must be centered on trust at its core. Employees have to feel safe to be themselves, experiment, take chances, fail, and ultimately, succeed as individuals and as teams.
A part of building your organisation’s culture is creating a space where employees, regardless of title, team, or tenure, feel welcome and encouraged to share ideas and thoughts. At the core of building trust is giving team members ownership over parts of the decision-making process.
There are a variety of ways to do that, but one of the best ways is to distribute responsibility. Instead of your teammates feeling like cogs in a machine, they can feel like valued contributors.
Eliminate silos
Too often, work is siloed between teams and tools, making it hard to find. Without a clear understanding of what you need to do — and why it matters, it can feel like you’re spinning your wheels without really going anywhere. Make sure you have a clear, tangible way to connect daily work to company goals.
Believing in supporting people to do their best work and thrive, and building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company is core to our mission. The truth is, your culture will develop with or without you.
The difference is, without actively developing and shaping your company culture, you risk having a disorganised and ambiguous framework. Instead, take the time to nurture your desired culture. A strong culture comes from intentionality — rather than letting culture happen.