If your business is expanding in more than one way, then it qualifies to be a ‘growing business’. Business growth comes with numerous changes in your usual operational circumstances. As such, it is important for business owners to adapt their strategies in order to match these rapid changes.
For example, if your previous target was acquiring new clients, you might find that with time, your new focus has now shifted to retaining those clients that you have gathered over your years of operation. You might even find yourself in a position where you need to hire a reputable PR firm to help you build a positive brand and establish solid relationships with your existing clients.
Defining company culture
A company’s culture refers to the attitudes, the beliefs, the values, and the practices that a particular organization uses to guide its way of doing things. You could think of good company culture as a sort of ‘sticky glue’ that helps to hold everyone within the company together in one piece. If this glue is not ‘sticky’ enough, naturally, the parts that it holds together in place could easily come apart.
A shaken-up company culture could be detrimental to several sectors that define the organization. A business owner with a great company culture ends up with happy employees. Happy employees do not only show up in the office; they also contribute significantly to the organization’s growth. Such individuals tend to be happy and are more than willing to contribute to company growth.
The key components of a good company culture
Any company that wants to succeed is made up of the following 6 elements and components:
1) Vision and purpose
A company’s values tell the story of where the company pictures itself in the near future. These values answer the question, “Where do you see yourself in the next ten years or so?” Your company’s core values should be in line with your overall mission as a firm. If you find yourself fumbling, then you can take advantage of PR firm services that help you incorporate your company culture to match your vision.
2) Company values
If your business is to be successful, then it must be backed up by a set of values. Values refer to the authentic ‘strings’ that help in shaping who you are as an organization. These are the guiding principles that help you in the decision-making process.
3) Rituals and practices
Company practices are all about doing what you say you will do. If you are a customer centric organization who puts the customer first above anything else, then make sure that you always deliver top-notch quality customer service.
4) People
The people you bring on board during the hiring process are the ones that make up the organization. If your company culture and your employees fit perfectly, then you have fewer chances of experiencing employee turnovers.
5) Narrative/story
Basically, your narrative refers to your company’s story. How did your organization come to being? The story behind your company’s existence shapes your organization’s culture majorly.
6) Work environment
When it comes to your place of business, your environment really matters. You want your physical location to be a space that is both welcoming and inspiring. A great environment leads to employees who are more than willing to contribute to company growth.
Tips to help you in maintaining a solid company culture
As companies grow, the biggest challenge they face is maintaining their company culture. If your organization’s culture is solid and consistent, chances of prevailing in business are even higher. The more the business flourishes and grows, the higher the likelihood of losing the culture it has nurtured all along.
Here are some steps that you can take to ensure that your company culture remains intact amidst rapid company growth:
-
Define your company’s culture clearly from the word go
As the business owner, you have to have a clear idea of what your company’s culture really entails. When your company’s culture is clear to you, be sure to explain it clearly to anyone you choose to bring on board.
As you define your organization’s culture, be sure to answer questions such as: “what are my firm’s values? What has contributed to my company’s growth? How do people within the company engage on a daily basis?”
If your culture is well defined right from the start, then this culture can remain consistent regardless of the company’s growth, and regardless of the number of employees you have.
-
Hire carefully
If you are to maintain a strong organizational culture, then you cannot take the hiring process for granted. You need to use a sort of ‘team approach’ during hiring, where you see to it that the candidates you pick are a good match for their colleagues. The employees you hire should be a great fit for your existing employees if they are to work together on a day-to-day basis.
There are various ways through which company culture contributes to organizational success. As an employer, you need to employ a very careful hiring process. Getting your hires right is the first step towards maintaining a strong organizational culture.
-
Incorporate your organization’s culture during the employee onboarding process
Defining your company culture is not enough; you should make sure that your onboarding process is reflective of your corporate’s culture. Company culture is a ‘song’ you need to introduce everyone who you bring to your firm right from the word go.
If your focus is on providing exemplary customer service, make sure that this is made clear to any potential employees. This makes it so much easier for new employees to blend in perfectly with their colleagues, since they are all bound by a common goal; providing top-notch quality service to all clients.
-
Consider working with a professional culture manager
As your company goes through periods of immense growth, maintaining your company’s culture can become so involving. Sometimes, this can even turn into a full-time job. This being the case, you might want to hire a culture manager to help you in maintaining a great office culture.
A culture manager is an individual whose full-time job is prioritizing a company’s culture. These professionals’ job is to understand the culture that shapes your business, and then helping you to maintain it. A culture manager can also help in identifying corporate culture gaps then provide reasonable solutions towards curbing that challenge.
-
Reinforce your company’s mission
The company’s mission is not just a mantra that people see when they walk in through your doors. Your corporate’s mission is a song that everyone within the organization should know at heart. Be sure to reinforce your firm’s mission at all times, even during meetings. Positive mission reinforcement gives everyone a sense of direction, and helps employees see what their purpose in the company is.
-
Create and maintain organizational traditions
When your company is going through its initial growth and development phase, it is only natural for you to pick some organizational traditions along the way. As you grow further, chances of these traditions getting lost significantly increase. Do not let this happen. Make sure that you maintain corporate ‘rituals’ regardless of the size that your business will eventually grow to.
-
Recognize staff contributions and achievements
Employees are part and parcel of your organization. If you recognize their contributions and achievements, you not only encourage them, but you also give them a sense of belonging.
Valued employees are more satisfied and loyal. As an employer, it is important to hire expert firms to test your employee satisfaction. From the results, you can get a clear picture of what areas you need to improve on.
-
Having open communication
Create forums for open and honest feedback from employees. This makes it easier to deliberate on any upcoming issues within the company. You could also consider introducing informal means of communication such as newsletters where employees can update themselves on new company developments.
-
Connect outside the office
We all have a life outside the office. Be sure to engage your employees in team building exercises, sports competitions, community service activities, and more. These off-office interactions help to strengthen the bonds that exist among colleagues, leading to a stronger company culture.
-
Be flexible and adapt your culture with changing times
As a top priority, your corporate’s culture is something that you will need to adjust every once in a while. To be honest, the company culture that made sense when you were a team of five does not necessarily make sense now that you are a team of a hundred.
In conclusion
A strong corporate culture is crucial when it comes to a business’ longevity. To maintain a strong office culture, you need to take the right steps, especially when your organization is going through phases of growth.
