Organizational culture is to the company what biography is to the human being. It brings together the elements that make it unique. Corporate culture is composed of 4 interdependent elements, each of which is important. They allow the actors of the company not to lose sight of the objectives and to work by advocating the same values. Thus, the culture of a company is important for it to remain authentic, efficient and competitive. What are the 4 essential elements of corporate culture? This article sheds light on the components of organizational culture.
The company’s history
Every company has a story that supports its creation. It is the story of the actors, the facts and the products and services that have marked its evolution. History is therefore the first indispensable element of the corporate culture. In organizational culture, history holds a very important place. At first glance, it shows the aspirations and founding ideas that drove the founders to create the company. Since in every successful business, there is always a trigger for success, the story then relates the different eras that the company has known. It also displays the element or triggers for success.
For example, it could be a product that particularly appealed to the public or a service that an influential person helped to make known. The history of the company therefore revolves around three essential points:
- The founders,
- The creative idea and
- Evolutionary highlights.
Organizational culture provides information on everything there is to know about a company. It also allows each employee to develop a sense of belonging that pushes them to constantly give the best of themselves. Thus, during a recruitment, it is important that potential employees consult a trusted platform of employee reviews to collect relevant information.
The history of the company also shows employees the part that each employee has played in the future of the company. Thus, it allows them to understand what employees who have already left have done for the company. They get the motivation to impact the company in the present and in the future based on the components of the corporate culture. In organizational culture, no one element can function without the other. Three other componentso are added to the story.
The Vision
Vision is the raison d’être of a company. It is obvious that every person who creates a business seeks to meet a need that already exists. The answer can be offered as a product or service. Hence the importance of vision, which is an important component of corporate culture. The interest of having a vision is precisely to realize it. The vision therefore consists not only of the objectives to be achieved, but also of the reason why they must be achieved. It is then necessary to specify the means that can be implemented to ensure that the short-, medium- and long-term vision is realized.
For a good organizational culture, the company’s vision must be clear and precise. It must be known and shared with all collaborators. They can then propose ways to improve without moving away from the guiding idea of the vision. This involvement of the employee in the development of the vision facilitates the appearance of a sense of belonging to the company. Since they support the cause of the company, they actively participate in the development process. In addition, in this way, the employer has the certainty that their employees share and appreciate the vision of the company. The sense of belonging thus created facilitates employee loyalty. Indeed, employees have the conviction to fight for the achievement of a cause whose relevance they share.
In corporate culture, the vision must be known and shared by all employees. It is the pillar that guarantees the evolution of the company. However, the components of organizational culture are interdependent. They can therefore only work together.
Values
A company that wants to be successful must meet certain criteria and impose certain rules. Discipline must be required in order to respect all the values that are transmitted through the organizational culture of the company. Values are present throughout the enterprise, in every compartment and every department. They are printed in all actions and are advocated by all employees. A company’s values make it what it is. They can be moral or ethical.
Moral values dictate the conduct of employees and compel them to be respectful, caring, disciplined and collaborative. Ethical values, on the other hand, have a much broader impact. They are aimed at the common interest. Whether moral or ethical, values are chosen according to each company. But, contrary to history, the values advocated by a company are not necessarily unique to it. However, it is important that these are understood and respected by all staff. The values of a company must be felt in the way of speaking and working of all those who have a role to play in it.
Values are at the heart of corporate culture. They dictate how to behave vis-à-vis others. Thus, they make it possible to maintain a good balance between employees and to promote the evolution of the company. The lack of respect for values is at the root of the decline in the productivity of companies. It is therefore necessary to carry out a satisfaction survey for your employees on an ad hoc basis in order to collect their opinions. This is an opportunity for them to talk about the employee experience and for you to create a professional environment conducive to collaboration to achieve objectives.
After completing the satisfaction survey and obtaining the opinions of your employees, you can respond to the employee reviews. It is an effective way to provide clarification when needed and to assure customers of your involvement in the well-being of your employees. In addition to bringing a better image to your company, responding to reviews allows you to rank higher on Google. Your business is better referenced and gets more visibility.
Actions
Actions are also an integral part of a good corporate culture. They are carried out according to the vision (the defined objectives) and the values advocated by the company. The actions therefore reflect the organizational culture as a whole. The actions are of several kinds. They can concern vocabulary, work organization, hierarchy within the company and everything related directly or indirectly to the functioning of the company. Actions bring the company’s vision to life.
Apart from everything related to the organization and functioning of the company, the actions also concern the rites within the company, the style of dress, the relationship between employees and especially the rules that are established within the company. That is what makes up the organizational culture. A company’s shares may not be totally unique. But, some of them are specific to the company. In general, the dress code is specific to each company and can therefore only be assigned to that company. As for other actions such as rules, hierarchy or work organization, they can have points of similarity from one company to another.
A good organizational culture helps build the image of the company. The image is very important. This is one of the objectives behind the creation of a corporate culture. The image of a company is how customers perceive it. This perception can be strongly influenced by the opinions of employees. As a result, these reviews can have a positive impact on the public’s impressions of the company. Hence the need to collaborate with employees who share the company’s vision and values.
Organizational culture is a relatively difficult concept to explain and is based on four components. It is specific to each company and shows the customer the uniqueness of it. A company’s culture is based on its history, vision, values and actions. The story serves as a basis for identifying the vision of the company, it also helps to attract potential customers. The vision is then used to find the values that will make it possible to achieve it and the values guide each employee to carry out the actions.
FAQs
What are the four essential elements of corporate culture?
The four essential elements of corporate culture are: company history, vision, values and actions. The story tells the beginnings and evolution of the company, the vision is the purpose of the company and guides its objectives, the values define the moral and ethical principles of the company, and the actions are the concrete practices put in place to achieve the vision and respect the values.
Why is organizational culture important to a company?
Organizational culture is important for a company because it gives it its unique identity. By bringing together the four key elements, it allows employees to work in harmony, sharing the same values and objectives. A well-defined company culture fosters employee engagement, creates a sense of belonging, improves collaboration and strengthens the company’s brand image. This leads to a better efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability of the company on the market.
