We have already written many times about how important corporate culture is in the process of hiring employees, how to communicate in different corporate cultures or as how to change a corporate culture. Let's, however, remind ourselves of what forms a corporate culture and what separates strong cultures from weak ones. The following six most important parts of a strong corporate culture were described by John Coleman, Americanmanagement consultant and author of management books and articles, on the Harvard Business Review website.
1. Vision
Each corporate culture is based on a corporate vision - an expression of the company's purpose of existence not only for its employees but also for customers, suppliers and the whole society. Inspiration for a clear, concise and powerful vision can be found in non-profit organizations, e.g. "World without Alzheimer's", "World without poverty".
2. Values
While a corporate vision summarizes the purpose of a company's existence, values are the ways to realize the vision. There are usually five to ten corporate values. Every employee need to know the values to know how to treat customers and colleagues.
3. Procedures
Corporate procedures are based on corporate values and, finally, they show whether the company and its employees take the values seriously. Values must be involved in all the daily activities of the company.
4. People
Companies with a strong culture focus on recruiting employees who will be talented as well as fit well. Then they employ people who comply who are satisfied and motivated to perform at their best thanks to the corporate culture.
5. Story
Each company has its own history which should be told to its people and the public. Many companies have, for example, their museums, successful managers publish articles about their experiences, etc.
6. Place
The place of work is very closely linked with the culture. It should reflect how you want your people to behave in the company, how the neighborhood looks and how your people are used to communicate.
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