A good corporate culture is important. It makes for staff who are satisfied, enjoy going to work and produce better quality work. But it is difficult to describe a good example of a corporate culture. It depends very much on the company and what the environment demands of the company. However, it always contains some elements. In this article, we will discuss those elements and how you can take advantage of them.
What is a corporate culture?
A corporate culture is about how you treat people and how they treat each other. Wherever people come together, a culture is created. So also within your company. The corporate culture is a reflection of the environment, but also of you as an entrepreneur. So you have a role model function towards your employees. There are 4 elements that play an important role in a corporate culture. You as an entrepreneur have great influence on all elements.
4 elements as examples of a corporate culture
As an example of a corporate culture, we want to give you that it should include at least the following 4 elements:
1. People must feel that they are making a meaningful contribution.
2. They must feel that they are competent.
3. People must want to contribute from within themselves.
4. They feel part of the whole.
1. A meaningful contribution
If you give up 40 hours a week of your time, you'd like that to lead to something. That's why it's important for your employees to do meaningful work. As an entrepreneur, that means you have to make a translation for each employee: this is what you did and this is how you contributed to our end goal. That's not necessarily in bonuses, because a financial incentive only helps for a short time. It is much more important to engage your employees and make visible what they have done. That includes not dictating the plan for the coming year to them, but developing it together.
2. Feeling competent
Many business owners see the value of training. But far too often employees are asked to develop in areas where they are not competent or less competent. Often it is much more valuable to let someone get better at what they can already do. First, that produces even better quality work; second, it's much more enjoyable for your employee. Of course, someone must have the skills and competencies needed to perform their role, but you don't need to send a programmer on a writing course. So at the same time, it also means having the right people in the right places.
3. Contributing from within oneself
Consider yourself: do you deliver better quality when you want to do something or when you have to do something? It's no different for your employees. Of course there are rules and structures, but it is important that your employees have the freedom to achieve a goal in their own way. Therefore, always look for what employees expect and also speak your own expectations. This ensures greater understanding of why someone does what they do. This often goes wrong: both parties have expectations but do not talk to each other about them. If you do have this conversation, you can ensure that an employee works hard because he wants to, not because you say he has to. This increases job satisfaction and decreases absenteeism.
4. Perhaps most important: the we-feeling
The last element of a good corporate culture is perhaps the most important: the we-feeling, making sure everyone has a sense of belonging. It is up to you as an entrepreneur to facilitate moments in which this "we" feeling can grow. You can do this, for example, with team outings, going out to dinner together or a weekend away together after a good year. It is also about internal communication, so be clear what you have achieved together and why that is reason for a celebration. Dwell on success. That's easier said than done in practice, so it's important to be aware of that.
Also read: Retaining and motivating your staff in 3 ways
In conclusion
Are you about to involve investors in your business? It is also important for them to perceive that your corporate culture is good. Another reason to pay attention to one of the four elements of a good corporate culture. Want to know more about the impact of investors on your business? Then read our white paper.
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