PRODUCTIVITY
By Desiree Anderson of Crest Coaching & HR
CULTIVATING WINNING CULTURES
A LEADER’S GUIDE
Organisational Culture is a set of behaviours and practices that become the norm. By repetition of these “habits”, our experiences, activities and values become ingrained. Distinctive patterns help us differentiate between organisations.
According to international research from Mckinsey and Fortune 100 Best Places to Work - the way employees feel about how they are treated in organisations is closely linked to employees’ engagement i.e. emotional commitment. Furthermore, organisations with cultures that have successful change adaptation have strong alignment with high performance. The worldwide pandemic has changed our mind-sets. Work is no longer central,
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but must take its place alongside other priorities e.g. child/elderly care, hobbies and exercise. We can work from anywhere (often remotely) and lifelong employment is rare. Consequently, the purpose, values and vision of employees (gig, contract, remote, permanent) now has a greater influence on company culture.
In the evolving world of work, creating great cultures is not about our employees fitting into the organisation but how organisations fit into employees’ lives. As Culture Cultivators, leaders need to infuse great work practices to create crops of winning teams who love their work, enjoy collaboration and produce innovative results.
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS WILL HELP LEADERS GROW SUCCESSFUL COMPANY CULTURES:
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THE EMPLOYEE LIFECYCLE n E nsure your employment process helps employees understand the organisation’s strategic, environmental and societal aims/values. n During interviews, allow prospective employees to articulate values, interests and needs. n R eflect individual preferences in employee contracts and reward packages to attract and retain talent in a competitive landscape; allow flexible work patterns and work-life balance. n Get gig or temporary workers up and running quickly, giving them essential information and access to peer/ senior management support. n U nderstand what unique benefits new members will bring to the team and, once employed, articulate these benefits to their colleagues. n S how appreciation of different cultures and diversity by adapting talent strategy practices including psychometric tests, remote interviews, communication and development. n W hen employees exit, demonstrate that we have valued their input where applicable and give them an opportunity to suggest any improvements. n Use technology, video, AI, or other immersive experiences together with face-to-face formal/ informal interactions to involve employees, enabling establishment of rituals.
