Changing the organizational culture

Organizational culture is one of the key factors in business and enterprise development. By this we mean the behaviour of employees and their relationships with each other – a factor that you must take into account in every job. Organizational culture defines guidelines, describes what is being done and in what way, thus reducing ambiguity and clearly defining the goal. By setting guidelines, it encourages employees to behave in accordance with the interests of the organization, taking into account their strengths and unique role. If employees are dissatisfied with their work environment, or if they do not feel comfortable and do not have social contacts in the workplace, this will be reflected in their work. Lower productivity is a direct consequence of employee constraints. It is not enough for individuals to show up at work and do what they are told to do – the organization does not achieve their full potential and cannot beat the competition. Therefore, the company should focus on changing the organizational culture for the better to meet all the needs of its employees – intangible factors are just as important as tangible ones.

Personally, I have many years of positive experience on the project of changing the organizational culture in a regional financial company with over 5,000 employees.

A strong organizational culture of the company is a competitive advantage – that can distinguish you from other companies similar to yours. If we compare companies with equally good products and services, those with a strong culture will compete better. However, building such a quality environment is not an easy task. The process is long and demanding, but the results are worthwhile in the long run. The change itself is based on Gallup’s approach and shows you how to build an organizational culture such that it strengthens your company’s identity and employee connection to the firm. Because change is largely based on employee relationships, they must be prepared for it and motivated to do better – they are the key to the successful implementation of change, so the task of management is to find a way to explain the need for change to employees and encourage them to do so.

Only 23% of employees strongly agree that they can apply the values of their organization in their daily work, and only 27% strongly agree that they “believe” in the values of their organization.

The most powerful company is one whose employees and managers have the same goal. The success of a culture change largely depends on how employees will react to it. It would be a bad move to impose change on someone without explaining why it is needed – good communication will help your employees come to the same conclusion as you. Resistance to change is a reflex and natural reaction of all people. That is why it is necessary to be clear and transparent. My approach to developing strengths helps employees discover, recognize and reap their benefits at work which will have a positive outcome for the whole company. This way of leading combines a focus on the strengths of the individual with three other principles: promoting the use of informal support networks, assertive participation in the community and building a productive relationship between the client and the leader.

What does it mean to be a force-based organization?

The goal of this approach is to increase employee engagement and develop a relationship with the company. Gallup has proven that successful managers focus on productive conversations with individuals, and by no means ignore them as persons. This way of talking analyses an individual’s previous successes, identifies their talents and directs them to achieve good or even better results again. A strengths-based organization integrates strength development into its mission and core values, and into the day-to-day relationship of employees. Here, constructive conversations are frequent and encourage the mental development of individuals and their approach to work.

Revive your company culture to achieve results.

Organizational culture is an essential item of any business and can greatly improve an organization if everyone involved is informed and motivated. My role is to help you align all the necessary components: leaders who separately form the mission, vision and values of the company, then employees as individuals with unique experience and strengths and the brand of your organization. In my approach I use Gallup analytics whose results speak for themselves and I work with clients from a wide range of industries – organizational culture is something that all companies need to nurture, but I am aware that each of them is unique, so there is no one solution for every situation. For each organization, I start over, assessing the current culture, defining a goal together with the clients, and then connecting the two to help your company reach its full potential. While it is important to recognize what needs to change in the current culture, I am also actively studying the positive aspects of the current culture so that we can work together on the strengths and potential that your company already has.