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What are some sustainable ways to engage employees in realizing an organization's desired culture
This question is part of the Focus Human Resources Roundtable: How Organizational Culture Affects Organizational Performance on April 4, 2011
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7 Answers
One of the first things an employee must be clear about is what are the attributes of the desired culture. What are the healthy, high performance behaviors that are expected? What are the unhealthy behaviors that will have you looking for another place to work? Once understood by all employees, the expected behaviors should be core to the organization's Talent Management System. They should be part of every performance discuss a manager has with direct reports. The desired cultural attributes should be part of the reward and recognition system, they should be part of the way leaders describe what's great about the organization, and the lack of use should be why people are asked to leave. By doing these things, and more, a culture can be sustained. These are some of my first hand experiences. I'm willing to share more.
Brian, do employees learn the desired attributes by;
1. reading the employee handbook
2. attending new hire orientations
3. observing what gets rewarded
4. observing what gets ignored
5. observing what punished?
From my experiences, regardless of the stated culture or values of the company in the Company Handbook, Mission Statement, Annual Reports or formal employee communications, the corporate culture is set at the top. If the CEO and the rest of the Executive Staff behave and act consistently, then that by definition becomes the values and culture of the company.
This really is a self-fulfilling prophecy as the rest of the employees will "fall-in-line" or they will be left behind in terms of promotions and raises. In addition, they will not receive their share of favorable employee recognition. This will most likely lead to a frustrated employee and they will probably leave the company voluntarily or involuntarily.
It is important to note that the above is true for all types of cultures so it is extremely important that one complete a solid due diligence on the company before accepting an offer of employment.
Good question Eric. I've found that creating a company culture is about promoting desirable behaviors. Leaders can help employees be more engaged and happier by allowing them to be more autonomous and being able to grow. One sustainable way to create this kind of culture is to have an ongoing dialogue with individual employees or teams and ensure that leadership is listening to them and using their ideas to build a positive organizational culture. I'd recommend ongoing meetings where employees are listened to and shown that they are valued.
Wow! You all made some excellent points. Each of you point out that management sets the example in developing and exhibiting desired attributes consistently and creating an environment where they, and the behaviors that support them, are fostered.
One question that arose during the roundtable was if culture does begin at the top, are (some of) the desired behaviors reflective of the needs and beliefs of the workforce, or should an organization define and create a culture they want and then hire those who are a good fit for it? It's sort of a chicken and egg question. It arose during a discussion about how the top 100 companies to work to develop their cultures in a time when many employees do not feel connected to their organizations.
One way or another, every organization has a culture. The question to ask is: do you want to shape it, or let it shape you? Bob's answer is correct. If you don't work to shape the culture, you will get what you deserve. Thanks Bob.
What many senior execs fail to realize is that everything they do and say is being watched and heard by employees. What you do speaks louder than what you say or Actions speak louder than words. Remember, when all is said and done, more is said than done!!!!
Eric, organizations get the culture they deserve. If the organization doesn't like the culture they have, they (the supervisors and above) must change what they do and stop expecting their employees who report to supervisors/managers to; accept, adapt, adopt, desire, realize, see, or want the CEO's desired culture.
“What are some sustainable ways to engage employees in realizing an organization's desired culture”
Employers don't engage employees but employees do get engaged when the employer (including all supervisors, managers, and executives,) does ALL their jobs well and I do mean all their jobs well. If employee engagement were easy to accomplish most all employers would have boat loads of engaged employees.
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