Much has been written on team culture and how it is instrumental in aiding business success. Continuing our series of articles on growth, let’s look at what makes a good company culture and how to achieve it.
Whether you’ve consciously developed it or not, your company will have a culture that has developed through individual behaviours and leadership style. The culture is defined by how team members feel and act at work. The quality of the culture shapes how people work together and what is seen as acceptable and positive or unacceptable and negative.
Why do you need a strong company culture?
You may have the best business strategy ever but if you don’t have a strong company culture, it won’t be successfully implemented. A healthy team culture promotes loyalty amongst employees which leads to greater productivity. The ideal work environment turns conflict into team problem-solving and focuses on shared successes.
How do you achieve a better team culture?
As with all business improvements, you need to know where you’re starting from. Begin a discussion to gather feedback and create a picture of your current culture, an external expert could help with this via a team workshop.
Six steps to building a thriving team culture
Step 1 – Leadership: culture cannot be delegated to a certain department, it’s the responsibility of every leader in the business. Your leadership sets the tone of the company culture, your enthusiasm inspires innovation and your professionalism encourages collaboration.
Step 2 – Values: include the whole team in identifying the values by which your business operates so that everyone feels accountable. Do your company values reflect your personal values and do you look for these standards in new recruits? Regularly review to make sure your values are relevant.
Step 3 – Transparency: every team member must be clear on their role and how it contributes to company objectives, give honest feedback to individuals and expect it from them in return. An employee who doesn’t meet team expectations can unbalance a good working culture.
Step 4 – Goals: align individual and team goals so that everyone works together and understands what success looks like. Great teams are built on respect, responsibility and honesty, if employees can see how they contribute to a positive team culture, retention is less of an issue.
Step 5 – Reinforcement: take time to get to know team members as building a great culture needs regular topping up. Celebrate birthdays, enjoy outside-work events, offer volunteering opportunities and 1-2-1 mentoring support to resolve issues.
Step 6 – Trust: people need to know that mistakes are accepted and learned from, encouraging teams to take calculated risks and be innovative. Regular meetings help teams to focus on solving problems and building relationships.
By creating a strong company culture, you can provide your teams with the best conditions for staying happy, healthy and reaching long-term success individually and as a business. CRM has years of experience in helping businesses to grow successfully. To tap into the team’s extensive knowledge, visit www.crmoxford.co.uk or call 01865 379272.
