Culture, in any form, constitutes the shared values and beliefs embraced by a group of people. In the realm of organizational culture, these shared values and beliefs dictate the behavior and decisions of individuals within the organization.
In simpler terms, as aptly put by Robbie Katanga, “Culture is how organizations ‘do things.'”
The significance of organizational culture cannot be overstated. Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of Zappos.com, once emphasized its pivotal role by stating, “If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just take care of itself.”
Consider the renowned corporate culture at Google, where the emphasis on an exceptional work environment, employee recognition, and community welfare has set a benchmark that many companies aspire to achieve. The facilities at their headquarters are not only impressive but reflect a commitment to fostering a positive workplace atmosphere.
Conversely, a lack of attention to organizational culture can lead to detrimental consequences. When values are not well-integrated, and employee accomplishments are overlooked, it may result in top-management pursuing personal agendas, middle-management slacking off, and lower-management bearing the brunt of the workload. This can give rise to organizational politics and an overall decline in employee productivity.
For instance, imagine a scenario where a manager disagrees with their boss over a medium-impact but high-budget item. The boss remains inflexible or delays approval, prompting the manager to micromanage the team. This creates an intolerable atmosphere during meetings and shared office space, leading to a collective sense of dissatisfaction among team members.
While such situations may occur in any workplace, the frequency of such occurrences is noteworthy. Is the reluctance to embrace change on the part of the Baby-Boomer boss to blame? Is the Gen-X manager being stubborn due to a desire for recognition? Are the Millennials in the team feeling exploited simply because of their generational identity?
During job-hunting, corporate culture is a crucial factor I considered alongside other company and position characteristics. It influences not only how I’ll work and what I’ll do but, more importantly, whether I would enjoy working there and how I would grow as an employee and as an individual.
Depending on who manages a unit, department, or the entire organization, they wield a significant amount of power in shaping the organizational culture within their domain. This is particularly critical in organizations with a silo structure, where ensuring that each silo has a robust culture becomes paramount.
Corporate culture is the intangible, internal essence of an organization, lying dormant until awakened. You can let it sleep, or you can rouse it and gain a competitive edge over your rivals.