How do you go about building a culture of productivity? Culture is traditionally defined as the beliefs, manners, rituals, customs, institutions, arts, and achievements of a specific society. When you think about culture, you likely think of countries with rich histories, elaborate traditional clothing, and unique religious rituals, but did you know that companies have cultures too?
Culture evolves when a group of people gather together—so it makes sense that a culture would evolve in the workplace.
A positive company culture supports work life balance, and motivates and empowers employees. The lack of company culture or a negative company culture often result in high turnover, low quality work, and increased stress. Company culture doesn’t have to evolve on its own—smart companies invest in building a culture of productivity.
These five building blocks allow you to accomplish a Culture of Productivity:
1. Shared Values
Shared values are used to create a company mission statement that supports your company’s unique vision. Positive interactions, rewards, and common goals are reinforced through these shared values.
Some companies cultivate shared values by serving their communities together; others host events for employees. Make sure everyone in your organization knows what your shared values are and encourage employees to act in accordance with your company’s vision.
2. Communication, Language, and Symbols
Every company and industry has a dialect, language, and symbols as unique as the products or services it provides. If everyone in a company is up to speed with the shared language used by the industry and within the company, communication becomes much more efficient. A lack of understanding, however, can result in confusion and mistakes.
Make sure to include training information on the language used at your company when you hire new employees, and cultivate an environment of respect so current employees feel comfortable asking questions and seeking clarification. Providing some ground rules for communication is key to creating the culture that you desire.
3. Habits of Effectiveness
The effectiveness and innovation of individual employees is what companies are built on. Understanding best practices of star performers and promoting habits that increase effectiveness benefits the company and its culture.
Generally, habits of effectiveness include prioritization, daily planning, accountability, effective delegation, and regular goal setting. Incorporate these habits into your professional workday and cultivate customized habits to meet your company’s precise needs.
4. Rituals and Routines
Rituals and routines is a fancy way of saying recurring meetings and regular events. How do the recurring meetings in your office support or detract from the culture you want to create? By scheduling regular sales meetings or project reviews you can create a cadence of accountability that keeps people and projects on course.
Regular routines offer discipline and allow employees to effectively manage their energy and focus on what’s important. Good routines can be extremely productive because they require minimum engagement in order to achieve maximum results. One word of caution here; don’t let the regular nature of a meeting allow it to become unproductive. You must remain diligent to make sure meetings stay productive.
5. Systems and Processes
Scalable systems and processes within a company allow productivity to thrive. The right systems and processes streamline tasks and increase efficiency.
Every company has unique systems and processes that suit their specific goals. Professional chefs use assembly line tactics to make sure food is prepared in a timely fashion, while companies that interact with regularly with many customers use CRM software to effectively manage their interactions with customers.
Considering these five areas when building your company’s culture will promote a Culture of Productivity that generates employees who have high levels of work competence with pride in excellence and a willingness to learn and achieve, a sense of duty and responsibility to carry out tasks and activities that will benefit the company, and high levels of enthusiasm for interpersonal cooperation and collaboration based on mutual trust and respect with a shared in the company’s wellbeing. Investing in a strong and positive company culture of productivity will unify your team, set you apart from your competition, and contribute to your company’s success.
What is your opinion on Company Culture? We would love to hear your thoughts in comments. Do these 5 areas have it covered or are there others?
