{"id":2284,"date":"2020-02-02T22:53:16","date_gmt":"2020-02-02T22:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dynamicteamsolutions.org\/?p=2284"},"modified":"2020-02-02T22:53:16","modified_gmt":"2020-02-02T22:53:16","slug":"removing-the-mask-whats-the-real-culture-of-your-organization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/02\/removing-the-mask-whats-the-real-culture-of-your-organization\/","title":{"rendered":"Removing the Mask – What’s the Real Culture of Your Organization?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google the words \u201ccompany culture\u201d and you\u2019ll find nearly 3.5 billion results.\u00a0 Yet ask a business leader to define their company\u2019s culture or to discuss ways their culture was created or has changed, and their responses are vague.\u00a0\u00a0Company culture it seems, is a bit of an enigma.<\/p>\n

In recent years, culture has become defined by company behemoths like Facebook and Google, as a by-product of perks or structural changes.\u00a0 Attempting to compete with the perks, businesses began to focus on everything from creating open office spaces to allowing remote work, providing snacks, catered lunches and smoothie bars.\u00a0 The list goes on and on.<\/p>\n

Companies looking to capture new and young talent began touting these perks.\u00a0 They seem to assume it would identify their outstanding culture.\u00a0 But true culture involves far more than a social welfare component.\u00a0 True culture is deeper, and it captures the heart and builds the commitment of an employee.<\/p>\n

Some companies look to define their culture based on the company\u2019s published mission, values, and beliefs.\u00a0While these are great founding principles of organizational culture, they are not what ultimately defines it.<\/p>\n

On the surface, culture can be defined as a product of a company\u2019s values, beliefs, and behaviors.\u00a0\u00a0But what matters, is how those stated values, beliefs, and behaviors are enacted through daily business activities.\u00a0 If the company purports trust as a value but doesn\u2019t share information about up-coming changes; Or if the company speaks to its respectful work environment yet has a leader who is known to use defamatory language, the employees most certainly know it.<\/p>\n

Culture is not determined by something one can write down.\u00a0 It is determined by the way people treat one another and by the efforts made to keep those interactions healthy.\u00a0 It occurs through daily interactions and decisions, through policies and practices.\u00a0\u00a0Here are five prime areas to consider as you determine where your culture is and where it needs adjusting:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

1. Rewards<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0Who and what is promoted?\u00a0\u00a0Is it the hardest working, most dedicated and competent workers who are rewarded?\u00a0\u00a0Do employee attitude or workplace relations factor into opportunities and pay raises?\u00a0Is sales performance rewarded regardless of employee attitude or treatment of others?\u00a0 Other areas to watch the reward structure include areas where there may be nepotism and loyalty (regardless of competency). Examining how each of these is rewarded tells a story about what the company truly values.\u00a0 This in turn has a direct impact on your company culture.<\/p>\n

2. Punishment<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0Who is terminated and why?\u00a0\u00a0Do poor behavior, insubordination, dishonesty, or other problem behaviors get addressed \u2013 and punished \u2013 in a swift and decisive manner?\u00a0\u00a0Are problem people allowed to remain on the staff or move about seemingly untouched?\u00a0\u00a0How many opportunities is staff given to change or demonstrate improvement before consequences set in?<\/p>\n

3. Communication<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0How open are channels of communication?\u00a0\u00a0Do staff have a voice in discussing things that may impact them \u2013 like changing technology, management, or expectations of workload?\u00a0\u00a0Or are they blind-sided and surprised by things that occur or changes that are implemented?\u00a0\u00a0Can staff adequately rely on the chain of command for getting information to or from where it needs to be?\u00a0\u00a0Is communication one-way (ie: top-down) or reciprocal?<\/p>\n

4. Teamwork<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0How do people work together?\u00a0\u00a0Are teams thoughtfully created with competent leaders put in charge?\u00a0\u00a0How often is their blame or finger-pointing?\u00a0\u00a0Are accountability and personal responsibility being reinforced?\u00a0Are collaboration and operational reciprocity the reality of how people work and team, or are people and divisions siloed and disconnected?<\/p>\n

5. Conflict Management<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0How are tensions or conflicts being managed?\u00a0\u00a0Are people encouraged to seek help or left to fend for themselves?\u00a0\u00a0Are people in leadership roles trained in basic conflict management?\u00a0\u00a0When help is offered, is it legitimate and multi-tiered or superficial and temporary?\u00a0\u00a0Do managers and leaders receive training in employee relations or conflict management?<\/p>\n

Employees are tuned into each of these areas on a visceral level.\u00a0 They experience the sensation of culture on a moment to moment basis.\u00a0 Exit interviews, engagement surveys, and focus groups are a few ways to begin identifying the true culture of your organization.\u00a0 But, recognize these will only tell part of the story.\u00a0 Understanding and changing the culture requires a deep dive and a thoughtful process, not a cursory exam or hasty change.<\/p>\n

If your organization is ready to begin this process and reap the competitive advantage of a healthy organizational culture, our Dynamic Team is ready and able to partner with you in achieving that goal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Google the words \u201ccompany culture\u201d and you\u2019ll find nearly 3.5 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}