Unique to each business, workplace culture includes many dynamics including work practices, beliefs and behaviours. Working in an environment with an unhealthy culture brings a lot of problems. Issues such as poor engagement, low motivation and performance, and high turnover of staff can make or break a company. Ideally management will work continually toward creating a positive culture.
Creating a vibrant workplace takes a lot of planning and getting everyone on-board with the new way of being. However, it will pay off in the long run and bring much success to the company. “Good teams incorporate teamwork into their culture, creating the building blocks for success” – Ted Sundquist.
Tips to Improve Work Culture and Teamwork
- Begin with a clear statement of the company’s vision and values. If your team understands these it significantly increases the chance for greater success. Leadership of the company’s vision begins with creating a large diagram of your vision statement to clarify the process and helps your team to collaborate toward achieving the goal. Placing this in the meeting room will remind staff of the direction of the business at each meeting
- Build trust within your team. Delegate responsibilities and empower employees to perform their best, while providing adequate resources to get the tasks completed
- Communication is vital between all departments. Provide an ‘open door’ policy to help ensure team input is valued which creates a feeling that they are an integral part of the process. Delivering and being open to receiving honest feedback helps with real-learning, and supports opportunities for growth and innovation
- Create opportunities to collaborate and work toward success. Develop frequent huddle sessions to begin meetings on a light note by including a fun element at the start of the meeting. This will really help the team to work on company strategies and shared goals
- Embrace diversity of team opinions and feedback. Brainstorm solutions for greater input from the whole team. To ensure all voices are heard use a few methods for feedback including a flip chart, post-it-notes and provide an opportunity for staff to present their feedback after the meeting
- Maintain clear and consistent expectations – an integral part of the process. It helps to demonstrate a fuller understanding of the bigger picture.
- Leverage team member’s skills and strengths, and provide up-skilling opportunities when needed
- Expressions of appreciation go a long way in boosting team morale and job satisfaction. This can range from competitive salaries, bonuses, extra holiday leave and employee of the month programmes
Company culture is all about the team working together – in a holistic way, toward a shared goal. “Alone, we can do so little; together we can do so much” by Helen Keller. It can take months to develop a great team, yet it can lead to greater long-term results. Positive culture in the workplace provides quality social and economic rewards – increasing job satisfaction and staff retention rates, while increasing performance productivity and the value of the company. The ideal workplace should be friendly, supportive, flexible, fun, and rewarding.
