Culture truly is a verb; it is an action, it should be talked about, it should be intentionally crafted, and is ever evolving. It is referenced by many, but deliberately focused on by few. It is mistaken by many as ping pong tables in the break room, Taco Tuesdays, or a great Christmas party, but those can often be window dressing for what is truly happening inside your organization.
By no stretch of the imagination do I believe at any point our organization’s culture has ever been perfect, but our objective has been to encourage everyone to use their voice. We intentionally create conditions that allow them to do that. I believe a great misconception is thinking everyone is always happy. By doing this, the culture is allowed to evolve, change, grow, and adapt with the people who are a part of it.
Culture is a moving target. It is constantly evolving and adjusting with time and as new personalities become a part of it. To cultivate something means you are preparing, nurturing, tending to, and helping it grow. This is how culture should be viewed. Culture isn’t something that can be set and then walked away from; just because something worked well with your group doesn’t mean you will have the same success in the future. Here are the four steps of the culture cycle that will help any organization cultivate a culture employees want to be a part of.
Step 1-Get Buy-In (Involve your people)
The more you involve your people in decision making the more support you will receive. First and foremost, when they are involved in decisions they support and understand the “why” behind them. We have established different ways to get employee buy-in including starting a “Leadership Council” that was voted on by their peers. Our Leadership Council represents employees from three different tiers that are based on years of service. We did this to represent all different levels and perspectives within our organization.
The Council will present issues to administration, as well as come up with solutions to problems, and the results have been amazing. We also have other committees and leadership groups within our organization that contribute in different ways. We have “Chieftains” who represent our teams in our organization; this would be the more social side and fun side of what we do. We have departmental representatives that are a part of our safety committee, and they help identify and solve safety related issues.
We have asked our team what they value, or honor, in an organization. Some values are performance based, and many values are socially based; both are very important to building culture. We have worked on developing a culture where people feel like they belong, like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. We want our team to understand that the work they are doing matters, but also feel like they are part of the tribe and have a sense of belonging.
When you start at the individual level you are better able to cultivate and uphold organizational values, norms and customs. We all have a different paradigm in which we see things. We are all the stars in our own movie, so we are limited in the viewpoint of which we see things. Having any employee-centric approach in your organization brings more perspectives to light and will help set you apart. More than anything it helps build engagement and trust, two must haves when trying to establish a culture.
Step 2-Identify Actions and Priorities
After gathering a better understanding of what the team values and prioritizes, the next step is to identify how to move forward. When employees are aligned with an organization’s goals and objectives, they are better prepared to make a greater contribution. By including employees in identifying these actions and priorities everyone is better aligned for success.
This step is sometimes easy and other times seemingly impossible. I often tell my team that identifying problems is easy but figuring out steps to solve those problems can be difficult. When employees are included in trying to solve problems innovation can happen quicker and the “everyone” culture can be better achieved. We haven’t always come up with perfect results, but what we do achieve is mutual understanding.
Your team members are the ones with boots on the ground. They benefit greatly when they are included in setting the priorities. This helps them feel heard and empowered. When you begin to utilize your employees as problem solvers and priority setters, you will realize that you have a team of experts, with strong opinions and big ideas. These experts will perform better when they are involved in steering the direction of the organization.
Step 3-Have a script and be consistent
Building fundamental habits is at the core of consistency. What we truly value, we make time for each and every day. The old adage, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” speaks to our organizations as well. When our organization fails, it is due to a lack of a plan combined with inconsistency. When we are successful, it is because we are intentional about those things.
The script equals what is expected, and when it is expected. Employees feel frustrated when simple things like annual evaluations are not on time. We have become very intentional and detailed about our calendar and that includes our social activities and events. This ensures that they happen and happen often, because we value those things.
I believe that developing relationships through social interaction is the lifeblood of an organization. Culture is built on the cumulative effect of these many interactions both big and small, both accidental and intentional, the crescendo can be something very special. Our job as leaders is to create spaces, both physically and philosophically, to make sure that this happens. Calendars are posted for everyone to see and that creates expectations and accountability on administration.
As I have worked with other organizations the struggles are usually tied to a lack of clear targets, poor oversight/accountability and they are horribly inconsistent. Our calendar has become more and more consistent each year, we create and apply effort to stick to it, and involve our team in creating it. Sometimes we have to rearrange things and adjust but most of the time it keeps us on schedule and keeps us very consistent. Even when problems arise, we are quickly able to adjust and adapt because of our script.
Consistency can be attributed to all levels of achievement in every aspect of our lives and, in my opinion, is the greatest factor towards success in nearly every endeavor. When leadership is inconsistent people begin to lose faith and trust in the organization. When employees are inconsistent it is usually because of poor systems and measurements. Consistency is even more important when considering the compounding effect of our work.
Step 4-Feedback/Revaluate
Just as individuals need constant a feedback loop to improve performance, so do our organizations. Only when we observe our previous outcomes can we develop a deeper understanding and better path forward. By involving our people in the review and feedback period, we are continuing to build that trust and buy-in. This is how culture is deepened.
When your team feels free, safe, and even expected to be a part of the solution, is when you can create a high performing culture. Employee involvement is what creates engagement and recent studies have said that only 20% of employees are engaged in their work. Employee engagement should be one of leadership’s top priorities and it begins with involving them in creating the type of organization they want to work in.
Plato said, “What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.” If you wish to cultivate a better culture in the workplace or at home, you need to be deliberate about it. Address it with the respect it deserves. Focus on the collective group and the joint experience we are sharing together, and culture will grow, establish, and evolve.
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