America's Benefit Specialist July 2023

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

2. the leadership style and approach that permeate the organization 3. the management of employees or the style that charac terizes how employees are treated and what the working environment is like 4. the organizational glue or bonding mechanisms that hold the organization together 5. the strategic emphases that define what areas of empha sis drive the organization’s strategy 6. the criteria of success that determine how victory is de fined and what gets rewarded and celebrated In combination, these content dimensions reflect funda mental cultural values and implicit assumptions about the way the organization functions. Examples of company culture includes many little things and some big things as well. Ask the following questions to start to assess organizational culture: · How are work assignments distributed? · Are there equitable opportunities for advancement (espe cially considering diversity, equity and inclusion)? · Do employees work in solo or collaborative modes or com petitive modes? · What is taboo to discuss at work? · Is there pressure to work when sick? · Are birthdays and anniversaries celebrated openly? · Are there spur-of-the-moment events? · Do colleagues have direct access to senior leadership or is there a chain of command? · Does the organization support casual dress or business dress? · What are the key rewards, recognition and company perks? In simple terms, think of organizational culture in terms of what is and what is not acceptable in the workplace. Can you list those easily? Are they followed and understood by everyone from the most senior leaders to the most junior colleagues? If not, you have some work to do. Second, research tells us what many organizations strug gle with when it comes to this topic. Based on our findings, we know three key things: 1. Optimal organizational culture has real benefits. 2. There are challenges to building and retaining organiza tional culture. 3. Organizational culture must be proactively nurtured.

I will summarize the key benefits in the next section, but it is very important to take proactive steps to help shape and strengthen your culture and align it with the organization’s values and goals. If culture is not specifically guided and nur tured, it can become unwieldy. Specifically, there are several common themes that many organizations struggle with. We lay these out here to help you become aware that others have struggled with these issues. My hope is that you will review these and candidly assess where organizations are with each of these potential challenges: 1. effective and impactful communication throughout the enterprise 2. retaining core values while growth occurs 3. effective hiring, onboarding, and training new employees to align with the desired organizational culture 4. subcultures or “culture islands” that develop, sometime at odds with the desired enterprise values 5. dilution of organizational culture due to new hires 6. DEI issues, especially a lack of perceived and equitable growth opportunities for all colleagues 7. the tension that is created by the need for more processes and procedures as the company matures One emerging theme to be very aware of is the decision process and communication of the evolving hybrid work environment. Some companies are feeling the effects of the changing dynamics and have been challenged with the “return to the office” situation. As a matter of fact, InCite has written a separate paper to discuss how firms can create a “magnetic” culture by employing creative strategies that will help them manage culture through all phases of growth. Third , there are significant benefits of positive organi zational culture. Think about this: As the title of this article states, organizational culture is a sustainable competitive advantage that is completely within every organization’s con trol. Here are a few credible data points to consider from folks that work in this space every day: · A recent Bamboo HR survey states that 94% of those surveyed said company culture is important to an organi zation’s success. · Another survey by Robert Half said 91% of U.S. managers say culture fit is more important than experience or skills. Organizational culture has been studied formally for many decades. Companies with great culture not only have many intrinsic benefits, but academic research suggests culture provides economic benefits as well. Based on numerous

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