Culture Shock?

Every company has a culture, weather it is intentional or not. If your business is mission/vision/values driven, and has a clear identity, you are most likely aware of the culture and strive to maintain it through consistent, strategic business practices such as hiring talent that share the same core values and are like-minded and aligning business decisions with the character of the company.

If your company does not have a clear identity, more than likely the culture emerged organically and it might be effect, or it might not. Understanding your company’s culture, how it evolved, and identifying how to improve it creates a healthier work environment where employees thrive, customers are more satisfied, and the bottom-line improves.

Set aside some time to act as an unbiased observer in your company. This allows you to experience your company’s culture from a more neutral perspective and you will see, hear, think, and feel things that you may have never experienced in your workplace. Here are some things to consider during your observations:

  • How do your thoughts, actions, and interactions impact your business?
  • Watch how your employees interact with each other, with management, and with clients/customers. What is working? What is not working?
  • What do you see, hear, think, and feel?
  • Are words and actions supportive, encouraging, helpful, energetic, and collaborative…are they negative, degrading, indifferent, dull, and combative, or they a combination of positive and negative depending on who you observe?

After you observe, document what you experienced and take note on the feelings that arose throughout your observations. Is this a place you would want to work? Is it a place you would like to do business?

It may prove beneficial to ask your employees and managers to take some time to observe the culture as well. What thoughts and feelings do these observations invoke for them?

You may have culture shock after conducting your observations. The good news is, you can always improve your company culture. If you are not sure how to go about this, contact Genesis Human Resources and we will partner with you to create a healthy, thriving culture.