Talking about culture in the corporate world is always delicate, as you have to be very careful not to repeat ready-made phrases and end up not adding anything to such a frequent discussion. Because talking about culture, everyone does — or should — but actually acting is another story.
I will not go into the merits of the importance of having a strong culture in your company. There are already many articles and research proving the increase in productivity, well-being and general improvement in the work environment of a connected and engaged team. The point is: what do you do to get there?
I would say that developing a strong organizational culture starts with purpose. Defining the company’s values is not a litany, but an important step towards understanding what is a priority for that company, socially speaking. Do values include making a positive impact on society? Foster diversity and inclusion? Teach and educate?
With these and other answers, it is possible to start outlining some effective actions to achieve an environment that reflects each of the values. And this is a very important point to be highlighted: actions are absolutely necessary. Culture is not just about communicating, even though that is a fundamental part of any organization. Culture is also about doing.
For example, if your company intends to embrace egalitarian causes, such as the inclusion of black people or LGBTQIAP+ people in your area of activity, then there are a few things you can do to act on the matter. Events or training to encourage constructive debate; well-constructed anti-discrimination policies; internal research; these are all some options that make a lot of difference.
When the company acts, the team recognizes and moves along. Every action reverberates in some way. However, remember: you need to make sure you are making the right decisions for your team’s enjoyment and well-being. And there’s only one way to be sure of that.
listening.
For each value and each objective, different processes can be created in each company, there is no perfect manual for anyone, but this is the only universal rule: listen to your professionals.
This means more than just calling them in for a chat or filling out a form with ready-made questions about everyday life at the company. Really listening means giving people space to be totally sincere. And collaborators will not be completely sincere until they have guarantees that they will not be rejected or harmed by it.
Building an active listening space is not so quick. Most managers never learned to act this way and the history of each professional, before ending up in your company, can be full of conflicts. So it’s your job to make your environment different.
Listening to each professional does not mean adhering to all the ideas that arise, but respecting them all, yes. Consider, discuss, reflect and learn, why not? Thus, every new action, policy or rule will be built together with those who are most interested in keeping the work environment pleasant.
Thus, a community is created. People want the best for themselves, and we all spend a good part of our lives at work. Although some interests are conflicting, with a lot of dialogue it is possible to create a space that makes the whole team start activities, each day, with a smile on their face.
*Daniela Gebara, founding partner and commercial director of the full digital agency Rocky.Monks, a Media.Monks company. The agency was recently awarded by the Google Premier Partner Awards, being considered the one that best carries out campaigns for its lead capture clients in Latin America.
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