Is It Time to Reinvent the Culture in Your Workplace?

A positive company culture is one of the driving forces behind many successful companies. If your company employs this philosophy you’ve probably noticed significant employee engagement, high retention rates, quality talent and financial success to name a few. However, if these areas are major challenges for your company, it’s worth taking some time to reflect on the current culture.

Conversations about corporate culture may not always be first in line when you are trying to decipher what’s delaying your team from achieving the company vision, but they should at least come close.  Ellen Morgan, Human Resources Director of Baldwin Risk Partners, an award-winning insurance brokerage & employee benefits firm in the Tampa Bay area is a big believer in the pursuit of a desirable corporate culture. A huge part of the company’s success is attributed to its unique culture. Outlined in a document called the BKS Azimuth, it’s part of the vision that the founding partners had before Baldwin Risk Partners was ever created. Everyone strives to place “we before me,” purpose, engagement, accountability, and “time to dream” as top priorities.

5 Tips For Changing Your Company’s Culture

     1. Start from the top.

Ellen Morgan believes that company culture change should start at the top; “They have to believe it and live it!”

It’s true that a successful culture change will require buy-in from employees at all levels within the company. Therefore it’s important to understand the impact that company leaders will have on this process. If your fellow C-suite executives, board of directors, managers, etc. can collectively make the change a priority, you will experience less of a power struggle among the other employees.

      2. Clearly define your current company culture.

Before you begin adding and removing cultural components, ensure you have a sufficient understanding of what your workplace culture is today. Review the company values, mission, and vision. Discuss some of your processes and procedures with your department leaders. Ask your human resources department for insight into what your employees are saying. Review exit interviews. Be certain the cultural changes you implement make sense considering where your company currently stands and where you want it to be.

     3. Align your new culture into your company’s policies, procedures, and brand.

Changing the culture in your workplace requires an effective strategy. It should affect more than just one aspect of the business and be genuinely felt throughout the company. For instance, if you’re focused on empowering your employees, you may allow more flexibility in their work schedules. You can also offer more training to your management team to get rid of any micro-managing. Creating a culture based around empowerment can affect human resource policies, work load, and even leadership structures.

     4. Focus on culture fit when hiring and cut ties when necessary.

When you become serious about creating a healthy culture within your organization, you have to let go of anything that does not flow with the vision. That includes new hires and seasoned employees. It’s easier when dealing with a new candidate who is not a good culture fit. Just don’t hire him. Baldwin Risk Partners utilizes company culture to recruit. “When we are interviewing, we describe the culture and ensure we hire culturally congruent individuals. We have interview questions aligned with The Azimuth to determine behavior, as best we can.  We find most candidates want to be continual learners, have an entrepreneurial spirit, have fun, display energy and caring, and deliver peace of mind to our clients.”

When it comes to dealing with employees who have been with the company a while, it can be challenging. Give them a chance to adjust. Employees with more seniority may find it more difficult to transition. However, establish boundaries. When it becomes obvious that an employee is not going to make the effort, you must be able to let him go.

     5. Set realistic expectations.

Changing your company’s culture can take time and will not be complete in a week. “When the founding partners wrote the BKS Azimuth, it took close to a year.” And that was just to write it.  Try not to be discouraged if your team experiences setbacks along the way. A huge part of culture change is mind shift. It can take a while to get going. Set monthly metrics you can strive for and evaluate regularly. This will be useful in keeping you and your teams motivated and keep you abreast of what is working and what is not.

Using Your Company Culture to Move Forward

When assessing your workplace, keep in mind that company culture can affect many different aspects of business. A research study conducted in 1992 detailed the corporate cultures of 200 companies and concluded that companies with strong cultures saw a four times increase in revenue growth. And according to a poll taken by CultureIQ in collaboration with the popular Entrepreneur magazine, 90% of employees at companies with winning company cultures were confident in their company’s leadership team. Invest the time to ensure that the culture in your workplace works well and you can have make a positive impact on your company’s future success.