Establishing a company culture has become paramount for various organizations in the post-pandemic world. After more than a year of struggling with the global pandemic, business leaders redirect their focus to their corporate culture. Nurturing an effective culture will definitely affect all areas of business, from employee performance to customer relations.
However, there has also been a significant shift in the culture-building process. The task no longer falls solely upon the upper management, but it involves the participation of everyone within the organization. Some companies have even considered bringing in a professional culture coach to fast-track the achievement of their desired culture.
Company Culture and the Pandemic
In the past, culture-building started from the top until eventually trickling its way to the bottom of the company. For instance, the CEO and managers would task Human Resources to create an effective company culture, which would be imposed on the employees. This type of model no longer works, particularly because of how the global pandemic changed internal relations.
As remote working arrangements became common, it also disrupted how business leaders interact with their employees and how colleagues connected with one another. The traditional top-down leadership has been rendered ineffective by the health crisis.
New Process
The new culture-building process has now become a shared responsibility. This new approach has transformed company culture from simply being an established code to a collaborative toolkit that everyone can draw from and contribute to. Every position within the company now has a specific role to play in the cultivation of effective practices.
Moreover, this new process also allows better communications throughout the company while still promoting accountability. It provides every professional with an avenue to express their concerns, especially when it comes to internal or external changes. This weaves different perspectives together, providing a holistic view of what truly needs to be done to develop and maintain an effective culture.
Positive Change
Positive change is extremely critical given how the current business landscape is set up. More so as threats of mass unemployment and economic downturn persist. Adopting this new model of culture-building also provides a glimpse into the difficulties that everyone has experienced during the global pandemic.
This informs companies on the necessary steps to take to better care of their employees. It fosters a sense of inclusivity and community within an organization, which key to improving talent retention and acquisition in the long run. Putting employees at the forefront will surely lead to a surge in productivity.
Build Better Cultures
There’s indeed no better time for a cultural reset as businesses continue to recover from the previous year. It will position them better to push their goals and strategies forward significantly. However, building an effective company culture is not as easy as it sounds. There are certain practices that will guide a company’s culture-building process.
Flexibility and Independence
Allowing employees to embrace autonomy can lead to the cultivation of a better corporate culture. Managers who micromanage employees can significantly lower morale and essentially kill productivity. What’s worse is that managers fall into this type of behavior without being aware of it. At the height of the pandemic, surely everybody felt a lot of stress and anxiety.
Fortunately, the rise of remote working gave companies the perfect opportunity to provide the autonomy that employees needed to flourish. In the post-pandemic world, companies should consider adopting the same kind of flexibility and independence for their employees. This will lead to better internal relations and employee performance.
Open Communication
One of the best ways to promote positive changes in culture is by adhering to the open-door policy. This also falls in line with the culture-building process becoming a shared responsibility. Most companies often fail to observe this open-door policy at certain times, which can be detrimental to the development of their corporate culture.
Everyone in the organization should always be open to receive feedback from their colleagues. Moreover, they should readily act on the feedback whenever necessary. Keep lines of communication open and engage with employees who follow through on the promise of the open-door policy. Actively listening to one another will definitely aid in achieving the company’s desired culture.
Companies of the Future
The shift in focus to building a better company culture is vital for businesses who hope to recover in the post-pandemic world. However, it’s important to note that the culture-building process is no longer what it once was. Fostering a positive culture requires the coordination of the entire organization to gain a holistic view of what works and what doesn’t.
A business’s corporate culture is what sets it apart; it’s the great differentiator. Not only does it improve the inner workings of the company, but it also becomes evident externally. Cultivating an effective company culture can significantly influence employees’ work experience and result in better business outputs.