Understand corporate culture to get the most out of it
How do you describe corporate culture?
Also known as organizational culture, corporate culture helps to build the identity of any company (large group, start-up, etc.), to represent it both internally and externally, and to optimize inbound recruiting.
In addition, team cohesion and the values that flow from it can be a powerful lever for employee motivation and performance, as well as a significant strategic and competitive advantage.
But to make the most of your company's culture, it's best to understand exactly what it is! And if you're wondering how to set up a corporate culture to better unite your employees, you'll find the answer at the end of this article!
Definition of corporate culture
Corporate culture is something you live and feel rather than describe.
Nevertheless, if we were to define it, we could equate it with the foundation of values, representations and behaviors that make up the DNA of companies, whatever their size or nature (SMEs, startups, large corporations, etc.). That's what makes them unique.
Corporate culture can be passed on :
- informally: every company, and therefore every employee, is influenced (often imperceptibly) by the country in which it is located, by its sector of activity, by the social, economic and political context, and so on.
- formal: managers often choose to consciously shape their company's culture (even if it means formalizing it in writing, as an appendix to the company's internal regulations, for example). Why is this? Because corporate culture is particularly important these days, and involves a number of issues.
The importance of corporate culture
Although corporate culture has always existed by its very nature, it has become more conceptualized in recent years.
Why is corporate culture important?
Here are just a few advantages:
- corporate culture enables you to stand out from your competitors, by asserting a strong, unique identity.
- corporate culture fosters cohesion and teamwork. It creates a sense of belonging to the same entity, and therefore :
- limits internal conflict,
- increases motivation and performance.
- corporate culture contributes to the company's brand image: it increases its "sympathy capital" and encourages a certain closeness to the consumer.
- corporate culture has a positive influence on recruitment. Indeed, thanks to the affirmation of the employer brand, candidates have all the keys in hand to select organizations that truly correspond to their values.
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Characteristics of corporate culture
What makes up a company's culture are its characteristics, its components (dress codes, language, managerial structures, etc.).
The patterns are highly varied, diverging from one company or startup to another. Nevertheless, let's take a look at the different characteristics that offer companies an opportunity to differentiate themselves and build their own culture.
The legend
Many companies develop their culture partly through their history and myths. They draw on real facts and the leadership of the founder to build their own legend and inscribe the present moment in continuity (particularly to help young recruits get to grips with their new working environment).
What's more, it has to be said that human beings love stories, or storytelling, because the emotions they trigger leave a lasting impression on the mind. Who hasn't heard of the Apple success story, which began in Steve Jobs' parents' garage?
Vision and values
A company's vision and values are now clearly visible, both internally and to customers.
Well-being in the workplace, a commitment to eco-responsibility, fair and ethical trade... these are all virtues that can be used as leverage in setting corporate strategies. Provided, of course, that they are sincerely considered in day-to-day operations, but also in the way the business is developed and marketed. Not to mention that it's a plus for the candidate experience!
Work and management methods
Working and management methods differ from one organization to another. Participative management or vertical hierarchical structure? Agile-based work methods or more traditional processes?
While there are no right or wrong answers, the fact remains that these components play a major part in the corporate culture, and consequently in the way each employee finds his or her place within the organization.
Rites
Each company builds its uniqueness and unites its teams around rituals:
- daily: breakfast, dress code, language, etc,
- occasional: afterworks, company seminars, team-building workshops, etc.
Workspaces
Workspaces speak volumes about each company and its culture.
Indeed, the welcoming, designer offices of some companies are associated, in the collective imagination, with optimal working conditions.
Take GoDaddy, for example. Located in Arizona, the company promotes the retention of its talents by offering them a workspace where they can enjoy a basketball court, climbing wall and miniature golf course:
Service Futures
Integrating employees into the corporate culture
It's sometimes difficult for management to define the contours of its own corporate culture. So how best to pass it on to employees?
Here are a few suggestions.
Conveying corporate culture through concrete actions
Remember that corporate culture is something that is lived rather than imposed or learned.
Consequently, only the implementation of concrete actions, in line with the company's rhetoric and values, can instill a strong corporate culture in the day-to-day lives of its teams.
The various rituals mentioned above, for example, are all opportunities to move in this direction and bring employees closer together.
Setting an example in the executive and managerial spheres
One of the prerequisites for the assimilation of organizational culture by employees remains its sincere embodiment by management.
The same applies to management, which must draw on the company's culture to guide its practices. Otherwise, employees may feel torn and deceived by the lack of coherence between values (sometimes ostentatiously displayed on the walls of the premises) and actual practices.
Involving employees
Are companies today really in a position to impose a culture authoritatively on their employees? And if they do, is it the best way to establish their corporate spirit?
Since the answer (as you might expect) is no, some organizations are now involving employees in defining the company's values, so that they can make them their own, and find them more motivating and inspiring.
On the other hand, this positive employee involvement needs to be nurtured over time, since corporate culture evolves over time, particularly during structural changes (when the company grows, for example). That's why it's important to maintain the link with teams, by regularly gathering their feedback on their employee experience and their attachment to the company culture, using a tool such as Clarity Wave's EPIC application.
Clarity Wave interface at a glance:
Clarity Wave
💡 Note that employees are also the best ambassadors for passing on corporate cultures to newcomers. For this reason, some structures set up a mentoring or sponsorship system when a new recruit arrives.
Focus on communication
Internal and external communication initiatives help to spread the corporate culture.
- Internally, certain tools help to strengthen communication and the spirit of collaboration. One example is Jamespot, which functions as an internal social network. By fostering internal communication, collaboration and ideation, the software proves to be a good way of maintaining and collectively developing the corporate culture.
- Externally, communication campaigns, logos and baselines help to inscribe a brand's identity and essence in the minds of consumers.
Some companies don't even need to write their brand name or slogan to be immediately identified by their logo:
REVENGEX
Spreading corporate culture through recruitment
We have seen that a company's culture has a positive impact on recruitment.
For this reason, some human resources managers opt for differentiating job advertisements, in which the company's traditions and values are described precisely and in an appropriate tone.
Knowing a company's culture in advance (and adhering to it) means having all the cards in hand to embody it to the best of one's ability when joining the company.
What are the limits to corporate culture?
However, companies must ensure that their corporate culture does not become a brake on their development. If it's too rigid, it won't be able to properly embrace change, particularly that linked to digital transformation.
It's also important to remember that organizational culture doesn't have to be indoctrination: its acceptance by the workforce is the key to its fulfillment. As a result, companies sometimes have to deal with the emergence of sub-cultures within the same structure. Accepting, for example, that an accounting department does not adopt strictly the same working methods as an IT department means preventing certain employees from feeling aggrieved or marginalized.
Sincerity, scalability, collective support, transparency and coherence are, in the final analysis, the values that underpin a strong corporate culture that fosters commitment and performance.
Article translated from French