Company culture is the sum of the values, norms, and artefacts that characterize an organization. It can be hard to change company culture—but it is not impossible. Here are some ways in which a company can change its culture.
Gauge your starting point
Before you undertake any organizational change program you should set a baseline. This is possible by measuring how your employees feel about the business and the business’ culture. To do this, it is important to identify the best employee survey software; for example, a package that can not only find out what employees feel, but why they feel the way they do.
Create a shared vision for the future
It is important to build a shared vision for the future and make it clear that the company’s leaders and employees want to achieve the same specific goals. This will help create enthusiasm among employees.
Communicate that vision to all employees
It is important to then communicate this vision to all employees. Providing information on what the company wants each employee to accomplish allows them to understand the ways in which the company values their skills and abilities.
Encourage people to speak their minds and have their voices heard
Employees need to express themselves constructively. This allows them to develop critical thinking skills and promotes a healthy dialogue between managers and employees.
Encourage people to take risks and make mistakes (and learn from them)
It is important to provide encouragement for employees to take the risk of making a mistake. This helps employees learn from their mistakes and encourages them to take the actions necessary for improvement.
Foster an environment where there are no artificial barriers between departments or teams
Departments and teams need to work together. This makes them more productive as they will have many more ideas than in other organizations. It is also important that employees know that their work affects all parts of the business, even if this means that they have some extra work to do during busy periods.
Embrace change as inevitable and necessary for growth
It is important to embrace change. This allows the company to grow and adapt to the changing operating environment. It also allows the company to implement changes that benefit the business.
Gauge your progress
Business owners need to gauge the progress that they are making in changing their company culture. This is done by comparing employee surveys to those from previous years. This allows the organization to understand how it is progressing and what measures it should introduce to improve further.
When these pieces are put into place, it is much easier for employees to understand why they are doing what they are doing. This leads to better morale and a more effective working environment. It also allows companies to change their culture without much hassle since most of the work has already been done beforehand. Employees will know how the company wants them to operate and how their managers want them to behave.
