Is Modern Work possible without an established corporate culture?
Definition
Corporate culture is the set of practices, customs, values, unique jargon and any other element that defines a company’s identity.
The Collins dictionary defines it as ‘the distinctive ethos of an organization that influences the level of formality, loyalty, and general behavior of its employees’.
It is fundamental to a team because, although employees may have different career or life goals, they are united by common elements with which they can identify. For example, everyone is a Star Wars fan.
Cultural elements
According to one great article from Assess First, corporate culture is broken down into 5 essential elements:
- History – this explains the company’s origins and journey. This gives employees an understanding of how the company came into being and helps them feel ownership over it, so that they can contribute by writing a chapter in the story.
- Vision – this also helps employees to see themselves as part of the company’s future and imagine how they might fit into that vision.
- Values – these resonate directly with the intrinsic values of the individuals in the team. You might often have heard, or will hear, ‘I don’t share the same values’. In many cases, people disagree with one or more practices that particularly affect them because they speak directly to their identity. This might include language that is perceived as inappropriate, behavior that is perceived as disrespectful, or meetings at 5pm that lead to a lack of work/life balance.
- Codes or practices – these are the ‘markers of belonging’ that translate values into everyday life through rules of conduct, communication, dress code, interpersonal skills, interactions, etc.
- Rituals or customs – onboarding, offboarding, seminars, team-building, etc.
Corporate culture is essential today if we are to stand out from the crowd and attract new talent, customers and partners who identify with this culture. For example, Apple’s customers care much less about price than they do about the image they will have if they become one of the proud owners of an Apple product. Not only does culture help to strengthen the commitment and loyalty of the existing team, it also reinforces the company’s image, both internally and externally.
The points mentioned above will be explored in greater depth in future articles.
The DONOS experience
When the first employees arrived at DONOS, Ariane and I were very quick to delve into the company’s culture and values. Our HR manager, Floriane, has been working with us since 2019 on a collective workshop to build both our timeline (the DONOS story) and our values. It was important that employees could identify with these values: Team Spirit, Loyalty, Flexibility, Intrapreneurship.
It’s been a ritual ever since: we organize at least one HR seminar every year, which helps us all to refocus on the company’s values and strengthen our culture by exchanging ideas on new themes.
Horizontal organization
At DONOS, our organizational structure is relatively flat. It is important to be willing to give your team responsibility and offer autonomy in order to boost commitment (it should be pointed out that this practice is not for all companies; it requires support, a framework and employees who appreciate this way of working). Initially, the information was centered on Mike, before gradually encompassing the whole team according to each person’s responsibilities. The result: fewer bottlenecks and a team that works together on a daily basis without a manager necessarily being present.
Transparency
As a manager, it’s hard to be transparent all the time. Yet sharing successes and failures, progress and difficulties are strong signals that give the team the opportunity to ‘give a shit’, to get involved in collective efforts and to gain recognition for their work.
Every month, the financial statistics (loss/profit/turnover, etc.) are shared with the team, who have the opportunity to ask questions and make comments.
Team spirit
Today, team spirit is paramount at DONOS. This is emphasized right from the recruitment stage, and every new employee joining DONOS has a conversation with part of the team as their final interview. It’s an opportunity to put their questions to those who are already here.
During the onboarding period, the first few weeks involve getting to know the company and, above all, having one-to-one conversations with the various consultants and business managers.
Everyone helps new recruits to develop their skills. This is greatly appreciated, and the mutual support comes naturally.
In an emergency, our team members are always willing to drop what they’re doing to come to a colleague’s aid. #teamfirst
Our weeklies are self-organized by the team to discuss everyone’s activities and share information. There is no obligation to attend, but the team finds it useful to share what they’re working on in order to best help one other and capitalize on knowledge and skills.
Lots of issues are addressed in consultation with the team, with a view to inclusion and commitment.
Recently at DONOS, the team has even been recruiting its future colleagues without Mike’s involvement.
Our company: a multi-speed gearbox
To answer this article’s opening question, we decided against remote working in 2019, because at that stage we couldn’t envisage working in different locations, without even being able to build our communications practices. By working in close proximity, the team members have got to know one another, learned how to work together, to handle their tasks independently and to share the information that others need for their work. After building this culture for a year and a half, the first lockdown was the catalyst for introducing remote working and team building.
Like any human relationship (love, friendship, etc.), corporate culture takes time to build. Its starting point is the founders’ mission (another dense subject to be explored in a future article) and it is built up in successive layers, ideally with the individuals who are part of it. It can change over time and grows stronger through its roots. If it is continually nurtured and cultivated, it can remain through thick and thin, even with changes to the team.
However, in a world of constant change and acceleration, Modern Work must also mean bringing innovation and continuous improvement into the heart of its value system, to continue to boost its appeal.
