What is company culture and why does it matter?

Google the word ‘culture’ and it returns 429 million results in 0.07 seconds (EDIT, as of 2012: 1,500+). Still a hot topic 15 years on from when Lloyds and TSB conducted one of their first ‘company culture audits’ to see how the merger would really work, creating an ‘enviable culture’ will probably be on the list of priorities, if performance and success is a desired outcome for your organisation.

So what does company culture mean and how can I cultivate it?

We’ve started exploring these questions as a common theme in some of our blog posts. Within this Petri dish of human dynamics and workplace chemistry, connect with us to explore the right cultural mix of elements in your workplace, and how some simple tweaks could create some enviable reactions in the chemistry and make-up of your workplace. Wikipedia provides a useful set of definitions for the word ‘culture’ including:

The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterises an institution, organisation or group

More simply put ‘how we do things round here’. In the past, we’ve been guilty of underestimating the hard reality underlining this seemingly soft term. Company culture is what determines an enormous amount of what happens in your workplace. Whether taking a message for someone implies the new customer is now yours, or whether taking a day’s sick leave means that you no longer are in the running for promotion, culture will heat up that behavioural frog slowly to the extent that once an individual arrives at their probation review they’ve either got it or they haven’t.

Leading the focus on company culture is Zappos’ Tony Hsieh. He considers company culture to be the #1 thing CEOs should focus on for long term success. This means also defining what you are not and what you do not do as a company. We’ve attached a short video that sums up his enviable approach to culture below:

And the first step of defining an ‘enviable company culture’? One that other organisations aspire to model;  the hottest talent want to join;  and the existing members feel engaged, motivated and proud to be part of. Wherever you sit in the organisation, we all have an impact on the culture around us, so join us as we activate, participate and stimulate the debate for what makes an enviable workplace.

Here’s how to join us and improve your company culture: Click here to connect with us on LinkedIn , here to join us on twitter or drop Filip a line here if you’d like to chat with us, get involved etc.

Enviable Workplace: We experiment with workplace chemistry, to produce enviable company culture