5 steps for building and ideal culture

5 Steps for Building an Ideal Company Culture

(And what to watch out for!)


bamboohr.com Qualtrics.com

5 Steps for Building an Ideal Company Culture (And what to watch out for!)

• Introduction

• Why culture

5 Steps:

1. Define core values

2. Listen to your employees and let them shape the rest

3. Start from the top down

4. Communicate/Be transparent

5. Embed values into development and engagement measurements

Things to Watch Out For• Remote workers

• Toxic employees

Conclusion/Thanks



Meet our Presenters

Ivan HurttStrategic HR Evangelist

Benjamin Granger, Ph.D.Principal Consultant, Org Behavior



What is Culture?Employees’ shared assumptions and norms about the organization as well as the tangible aspects of the work environment that influence and reflect these beliefs.

• Company leadership (top-down)

• Core values of the organization

• Vision & strategy of the organization

Ideal culture driven by:

• Can vary across business units,

departments & locations

• Can be incompatible (even contradictory)

with the ideal culture

Actual culture(s)



Why does Culture Matter?

2. Companies that proactively manage

culture demonstrate revenue growth

over a 10-year period that is, on

average, 516% higher than those

who do not.

3. For example, organizations that

actively manage their cultures

typically have 30% higher levels of

innovation and 40% higher levels of

retention

1. Nearly 9 out of 10 executives

surveyed cited culture as

important yet only 12% of

companies believe they

understand their culture.



Building a Company Culture



Listen to Your EmployeesEmployees’ shared assumptions and norms about the organization as well as the tangible aspects of the work environment that influence and reflect these beliefs.

• Survey the workforce or a representative

sample of the workforce

• Be prepared to look at data by business

unit, department and location

• Conduct focus groups with a range of

units / locations

Ideal culture

• How do employees describe (in their own words) the

culture of their unit and the org.

• Ask employees to rate their uAsk employees whether

they are aware of the ideal cultural values

• nits and the org on the ideal cultural values

• Ask employees to explain what can / should be done

to promote each cultural value

Survey quick tips



Listen to Your Employees



Top

Down



When Leaders are Transparent • Problems are solved faster

• Better team dynamics

• Authentic relationships

• Team promotes Trust in Leadership

• Higher levels of performance,

recruitment and retention achieved



Understanding Actual Culture(s)Use both quantitative and qualitative data to understand the actual culture(s) across the organization and how they differ from the ideal culture.

• Are employees aware of the ideal

culture?

• How do employees rate their unit on the

ideal cultural values?

• How do employees rate the organization

on the ideal cultural values?

Quantitative

• How do employees describe the culture of their unit?

• How do employees describe the culture of the

organization as a whole?

• How do these differ from the ideal culture?

• Are there different sub-cultures across the

organization and where do they exist?

• What do employees think the organization can do to

promote culture?

Qualitative / verbatims



Driving the Ideal Culture:Manager 360s

One of the best ways to continuously measure managers is with 360 degree feedback assessments.

• No more than 50-60 total items

• Organize behavioral items into

competencies

• Ask open-ended questions for each

competency

• Anchor all response options

360 quick tips • Frame 360s as a “development only” activity

o 3-5 subordinates, 3-5 peers, 1 Direct Manager,

3-5 internal / external customers (Optional)

• Managers should be rated on how well / often they

display each critical behavior outlined in the

leadership competency model

• Evaluators should provide actionable feedback to the

manager on ways she / he can improve

• Have managers complete a self-assessment



• The final hurdle to changing your culture

is engaging your employees to promote

the culture every day in their jobs.

• Beyond the steps already mentioned, it’s

critical to provide employees an outlet to

express their thoughts, concerns, and

suggestions.

Driving the Ideal Culture: Employees



• Regular employee engagement and / or pulse

surveys across the organization

o Have employees rate their units and the

organization as a whole on the cultural values

o Have employees provide suggestions for ways

to better promote the culture

• Share the results of every engagement or pulse

survey with the workforce

o Results email, newsletter, town hall meetings,

quarterly webinar, posters in locations with

highlights

• Hold employees accountable for taking personal

action to help drive culture

Driving the Ideal Culture: Employees



Driving the Ideal Culture: EmployeesPersonal action plans may sound daunting but they can be quick, easy, and extremely valuable.

Example Personal Action Plan• After each work day, take 2 minutes to reflect on the following questions

o Did I do my best to find meaning in my work?

o Did I do my best to be engaged in my job?

o Did I do my best to build positive relationships with my coworkers?

o Did I do my best to build positive relationships with my customers?

• After each work week, take 5 minutes to reflect on the following

questions

o What could I have done better to find meaning in my work?

o What could I have done better to be engaged in my job?

o What could I have done better to build positive relationships with my

coworkers?

o What could I have done better to build positive relationships with

customers?

Provide employees with example action plans

that they can engage in on a regular basis

(daily, weekly)

Encourage employees to tweak these and

make them their own

Encourage employees to use technology to

support their action plan(s)



Dealing with Toxic Employees

DO• Talk to the person to try to understand

what’s causing the behavior

• Give concrete, specific feedback and

offer the opportunity to change

• Look for ways to minimize interactions

between the toxic employee and the

rest of your team.

DON’T• Bring the situation up with your other team members.

Allow them to mention it first and then provide

suggestions.

• Try to fire the person unless you’ve documented the

behavior, its impact, and your response.

• Get so wrapped up in handling the issue that you ignore

more important work and responsibilities.

• Look for ways to minimize interactions between the toxic

employee and the rest of your team.



Managing Remote Workers

• Make use of technology • Use video conferencing • More advanced planning• Trust • Manage by objective• High interaction • 360 feedback• Not all personalities work

Manager



High Output Remote Workers Checklist

1. Find the right fit2. Make communication king3. Plan your work environment4. Figure out your energy level and

when are you most productive5. Know what your company needs

Employee

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Thank you!

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5 steps for building and ideal culture

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