This week ended up being “Culture Week”! The past few days have been filled with intentional conversations about the ever-elusive and ever-important role of creating the “right” culture. Let’s face it, leaders often avoid the work it requires to create culture. But, let’s explore why it’s so crucial and how to overcome the challenges to building a healthy organizational culture. I suspect this will be the first of many posts written about culture.

Did you know? According to a 2017 Gallup Workplace Report, companies with strong cultures saw a fourfold increase in revenue growth. Organizations with highly engaged employees reported a 21% higher profitability compared to those with disengaged employees.

The Elusive Nature of Culture

Why is creating culture always so elusive? Creating a healthy organizational culture is hard and takes an intentional investment of time, personal energy and financial resources. What makes it so challenging? The intentional investment of time, the personal energy required and the financial investment it requires. 

1. Time: Busy schedules oftentimes push aside room for deep reflection and deliberate action. And, candidly, leaders will choose to focus their time elsewhere.
2. Personal Energy: Consistently fostering a positive culture requires ongoing effort, thought and attention by top leadership. Good culture will not evolve from the bottom-up.
3. Financial Resources: Investing in culture often involves costs organizations might hesitate to commit to because they cannot see the direct correlation to measurable outcomes.

When was the last time you spent time really assessing and thinking about your team or organization’s culture? Really ask yourself. Did you write anything down? Or, did you quickly get distracted and move on to something else. Oftentimes, we push aside the intentional effort culture creation requires.

Overcoming the Challenges

How can we create and sustain a good culture?

Creating and sustaining a good culture involves more than just promotional campaigns and stickers. Here are three clear takeaways to help you build an engaged culture:

Co-create Your Culture:

Culture cannot be decided or dictated by a single individual in leadership. It must be carefully and thoughtfully curated by the voices of many.

One organization I worked for had a leader who took it upon themself to establish the driving cultural values. Single-handedly, they drafted the cultural values and then dispersed them throughout the organization. The culture was deployed through magnets, stickers for your laptop and large poster-like installations throughout the facilities. Everywhere you went, you were confronted with the espoused culture.

This approach felt imposed rather than embraced and integrated. Involve your team in defining the cultural values to ensure they resonate within your organization.

Communicate Clearly and Consistently:

Culture needs to be clear, concise, co-created and then communicated. Ensure that everyone understands the cultural values. Make your cultural values a living part of your organizational DNA.

Invest in Your Culture

Building a positive culture requires investment. Allocate time and resources for thoughtful and intentional team-building events and activities. Create opportunities for collaboration, and provide resources that support a healthy work environment. Tapping into outside resources can also be helpful with team-building and off-site meetings.

One organization I worked with had a high value on collaboration and innovation. As a part of their culture creation, they made significant investments in off-site retreats every four to five years to create space and time for an ordinarily individualistic professional group. They were thoughtful to include walking, talking, meals and even time to simply “play” together. Some of their most significant partnerships and breakthroughs could be directly traced back to the investment they made into creating a healthy and collaborative culture.

Wrap Up

The benefits of a strong culture far outweigh the costs, as it leads to increased innovation, higher employee engagement, and better retention rates.

Culture doesn’t have to be elusive. With attention and intention, you can create an environment where your team thrives. In the case of culture, you will reap the results of your efforts.