Culture is defined by the Collins dictionary as “the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action”. It goes on to offer: “the total range of activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the group.”
Ultimately, as a society we understand culture as the shared beliefs, attitudes, values, goals, practices, and behaviours within a group, such as a community or even country. Company culture, which is more specific to a smaller group of people, refers to the shared attitudes, values and beliefs within a business and, depending on the culture itself, it can have a positive or negative influence on an organisation.
Many of us have listened to radio talk shows or read articles about toxic work cultures and how they’ve led not only to the capitulation of happy employees but also a radical reduction in productivity and profitability. It is evident that cultivating, and maintaining, a good company culture is non-negotiable, both in terms of employee happiness and mental wellness but also the bottom line. The key is to shape company culture intentionally. If you intentionally drive culture, you can ensure it has a positive impact on an organisation.
A small business owner will find it more straightforward to influence company culture than the leadership team in a larger, growing organisation. This is because the owner will have direct interaction and personal relationships with employees. However, when teams grow and structures become more complex, maintaining and shaping a company culture becomes more challenging. In larger organisations, if culture is not proactively driven, and treasured, it will become diluted, or worse, potentially pick up negative connotations.
At redPanda Software, we made the conscious decision early in our journey to place culture front and centre. We take pride in our introspection, acknowledging our challenges and mistakes, and continuously striving to improve. By way of example, our business has grown from 30 to 180 employees in a few years. This six-fold increase would have been challenging on its own, but factor in the lockdowns and forced remote working, and the implementation of a hybrid working model, and suddenly maintaining a good culture became far more complex, yet demonstrably achievable.
However, beyond things such as where one works and how often you see people face to face, every year and with every new young person onboarded, the workforce becomes younger and more diverse. What worked 15 years ago may not be applicable today, and so organisations need to ensure relevance.
This may all sound complex and – frankly – daunting with many different methodologies and approaches. However, based on personal experience at redPanda Software, here are six key strategies a business can implement to build a strong, positive company culture:
Continuous learning and adaptation
Don’t assume you know all the answers – remain open minded and be willing to learn. Listen to your employees. Understand that things do change, and it is up to an organisation’s leadership to be open to these changes while still maintaining its own opinions and strong decision-making abilities.
Values-driven leadership
This is perhaps best explained by an analogy. At redPanda Software our core values are harmony, pride and accountability. It would be a mistake to print out these words, stick them on a wall and then forget about them. In our context, we discuss them in times of success, we acknowledge their role in our achievements, and we analyse carefully when things go wrong and identify which values were not adhered to, why, and how to change that moving forward.
Purposeful recruitment
Our directors meet with all job candidates as a final step in their recruitment process. At these final interviews candidates present their understanding of our values. Purposeful recruitment means that you only hire individuals who align with your values and purpose, regardless of their skills. Pause on that thought for a moment. Think about the alternative: New hires, that while appearing productive could well negatively influence and disrupt a unified company culture.
Regular alignment and communication
As Managing Director, instead of focusing only on senior management, I regularly meet with our teams at various levels to ensure there’s alignment and a sharp focus. During these engagements, we emphasise using consistent language when discussing our ways of working. This ensures that everyone knows why they are here, what we do, and how we do it. In other words, we keep our culture alive.
Resilience during tough times
It’s easy to maintain a culture when things are going well, but during challenging times, especially in the retail IT world, proactively working on a strong company culture is crucial. During delivery pressures, leadership might be tempted to abandon non-delivery factors and focus solely on getting work done. However, we’ve learned that it’s during these tough times that organisations and their teams must continue doing the seemingly small things that define values and culture. We refer to this as the “flywheel effect” as described by Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great”, where you maintain momentum without making sudden, drastic changes.
Diversity and engagement
Culture is reinforced by creating a work environment that is welcoming to a diverse group of employees. We use the best tools and technology to keep people engaged, we organise team-building events and provide spaces for creativity and relaxation. We offer various staff benefits and plan social events to foster networking and genuine human-to-human connection. Even with a hybrid working model, we are fortunate to have a wonderful office, and employees interacting in person regularly is rewarding and re-energising.
