"When you do business everywhere, the challenges of keeping everyone working together can quickly become the only thing you think about."
As experts in employee alignment, this video is a spot-on detailing of what we hear goes on in most large organizations (especially the ones experiencing rapid growth).Take a look:
The video depicts a normal day in the office. Groups of employees engage in conversations. Work is underway. Before anyone realizes it’s about to happen, a flood rushes in, and the office morphs into a bunch of small islands. That’s when it hits us: On these islands, people were trying to communicate but not having much luck. They are operating in silos. The hull of their ship has been breached, and company culture compromised.
Sure, this is an AT&T commercial, literally pushing communication tools (i.e. phone, data, email. etc). Don’t think for an instant, however, that this reality stops with these communication tools. It goes far beyond. How often are employees speaking the language of the organization? Do they know where the company is going? Do they see how they fit into the big picture of the organization? Just HOW intact is your culture?
Company culture is far more than monthly events, weekly happy hours or casual Fridays. Your company’s culture is beneath the surface, its life’s blood. It’s a core operating principle based on an underlying set of values and beliefs that keeps your business running at its healthiest. It is who you are!
Culture is intimately tied with communication. And there is nothing more important than ensuring all employees feel a part of the culture and understand it. Here are some ways to preserve your culture, especially during times of rapid growth:
--Ensure employee onboarding screams culture. “I’ve worked for four Fortune 500 Companies, and this is the first time I’ve walked out of an orientation and onboarding feeling empowered, informed, and engaged.” ~Atlanta Senior Manager, Protiviti Consulting
--Embed culture into any change initiative. Appleton Paper made change easy for employees. They communicated change creatively to employees, aligning new corporate goals to company culture. Before the activity, Appleton leaders were asked to rate their knowledge of company strategy on a scale from 1 to 10. Before: 5 (average score). After: 8.9 (average score).
--Communicate clear mission, vision, values to every employee. “Three years ago, the culture just consisted of words on paper. Now we can “see” what we’re doing, and that’s motivating!” ~President, Regence Health
Can you imagine a world where every employee is engaged and drawn to their work? Where they understand how they fit into their organization’s big picture and make their decisions accordingly. Where their identities and passions revolve around the organization. When every employee brings this sort of value, happiness, and passion to the table—that’s when your business will be at its best!
