How To Build A Strong And Positive Team Culture

Many employees would like to work in offices like Google. But real jobs can be a little different. Not all organizations provide their employees with comfortable working conditions and development opportunities. Entrepreneurs believe that an employee should do his job, get paid for it, and that's enough. But they are mistaken.

Great culture at work helps make business more successful. Also, it helps employees work harder and be more motivated.

What is corporate culture?

If we talk about the concept of culture - it is a set of certain ideas, values, beliefs, and norms. When we are talking about corporate culture, it's a system of values and rules for a particular company. Creating a team culture is about more than benefits in the workplace.

According to Forbes, more than 50% of executives and financial directors stated that the company's organizational culture is important because it affects the productivity, creativity, profitability, and growth rate of an organization. Because it helps build a team of talented people that will lead the business to success.

According to a PwC survey, 72% of executives and business consultants believe that "a positive organizational culture is a serious reason for choosing your company as a successful specialist."

How to create a strong team culture

The owner of the company lays the foundation of the corporate culture. When an entrepreneur starts his own business, he brings his ideas and worldview. Every company has a culture, even if you've never thought about it. The further culture of the company is built on the worldview of the boss and his views.

1. Be patient

Analyze your corporate culture and think about what you need to change in it. But keep in mind that building a positive team culture can take a long time.

Think about what you definitely would not like to see in your company. It can be low productivity, constant staff turnover, bad relationships. You need to get rid of all this for the further success of the business.

2. Plan any goals and values

The core ideas and values of the company form the basis of everything. For example, one of Google's values is "Don't be mean." Many organizations think that these are commonplace values, but they are wrong. There's a lot more to it than meets the eye. You need to understand exactly what is missing in your corporate relations.

Values should motivate every employee to go to work with joy. You can place a list of values and targets in a prominent place so that employees know where to go.

3. Survey employees or influencers

If you can't define the company's values, then it's not a problem. You can ask around the staff. Do a survey. You can use it for any online service. Also, you can take stickers with the inscriptions «yes» «no» and give a vote to your colleagues.

Select the most important ones when you have chosen about 10-15 values. It will help plan a clear picture and vision of what you need to change and what goals to achieve.

After you choose your goals, you need to talk to the workers. It is essential to explain to your team how to maintain a strong workday balance together. Thus, you motivate the team and explain what efforts they need to make.

4. Strive to Become a Teal Organization

Famous writer and business coach Frederic Loux divided the companies by color. He did this in his book. Thus, he characterized the levels of development of each enterprise. The weakest is red, and the most successful is turquoise. Each employee in turquoise-colored companies is an individual who knows his functions. Everyone handles their process.

An example of a turquoise company would be Starbucks. As you know, this is a huge American coffee company that has opened its branches everywhere. The essence of their work is that each employee is a partner who works for the company's benefit. That is what allows you to build a solid and confident culture, where everyone thinks big.

5. Remember Agile Management Principles

Agile management will help you organize collaborative work in a team. It is important to consider the following principles when creating an organizational culture. People are more important than processes and tools. Software is more important than documentation. Interaction with customers is more important than the terms of the contract. New changes in the work are more important than the originally approved plan. It allows your employees to be free to make their own decisions.

6. Analyze the organizational cultures of other well-known companies

Remember, you can't take and copy someone else's corporate culture. All companies are different. In one, a certain system of values works. In another, it will not work.

Your task is to look at the corporate culture of similar companies. They should come from a similar sphere to you. This allows you to analyze what the company lacks for development. Lots of well-known companies write about their cultures in their blogs. Check this page to know more about the blog's benefits and other related aspects.

For example, if you are in a car-related business, you might want to consider the core ideas of Toyota. Their main goal is to achieve the greatest contribution from employees. If you want to learn more about their culture, it is tedious to read the relevant books. There you can emphasize the main points for yourself and decide what is the most suitable.

Remember that everything is very individual. Many people think that it is enough to copy the values of another successful company. But this is not true. If you follow the values of Google, it is unlikely that it will bring the desired success. When it comes to corporate culture, it’s very subjective.

Opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of WITI.