What exactly does it mean when someone talks about company culture? Is it something that just happens or is it something that HR professionals can somehow help to nurture and guide? Every company has their culture, and most people know it when they see it. Finding the one that’s the right fit for workers and teams seems to be a matter of taste, not at all unlike music.
In an article appearing on the HR Dive website, Jamie Notter consultant and co-founder of Human Workplaces insists that company culture has to move beyond being a buzzword and into the realm of the tangible so that it can be used as a tool for the business.
In order to help determine what an organization’s culture actually is, Notter created what he calls the Workplace Genome Model. For example, when a company uses the word, “innovation” it can mean different things. The concept of what innovation actually is, according to Notter, can be distilled into categories such as creativity, permission to remix and reassemble as well as taking greater risks to drive the performance of the innovation that the organization sees as vital.
Companies can adopt a sports playbook model. Consider the types of rituals and events that bring the people within the organization together. A monthly potluck where everyone brings a covered dish, softball, bowling or other types of after work activities can either be fun, or annoying, depending on the temperament of individual team members.
Certain aspects of company culture can be a real boon for everyone involved, while others can present their own set of challenges. Discovering the challenges that exist and inviting teams to post their ideas and bounce them off of colleagues can go a long way to help drive and create a company culture that workers value and invest in.