If you ask whose responsibility it is to create corporate culture, many people would answer in unison that "HR, of course." While this wasn't entirely wrong in the past, the world has changed. Corporate culture has become the main reason employees stay with a company for the long term. To create a corporate culture that truly meets the needs of employees, everyone must participate in building that culture, so that we can achieve a corporate culture that satisfies everyone.
Corporate culture flourishes when everyone helps build it together
Not every organization has a culture that suits everyone from the start, or even places that think they're already good can still improve further. The role of everyone in the organization, from executives and HR to other employees, is to fulfill their own roles to make the culture that everyone wants to exist in the company actually happen.
So what are each person's roles? (It should be noted that these may vary depending on the type, structure, and size of the organization) But generally speaking, roles can be divided approximately as follows:
1. Senior Management Team
The role of the senior management team, to put it simply, is to paint the big picture of everything. They are the ones who define corporate culture and Core Values, making sure that culture aligns with the company's goals and must adapt periodically for survival or growth. And because this position is the highest, they must also act as leaders, whether setting strategies for how to make good corporate culture happen and establishing criteria to measure whether it's successful or not.
2. HR Department
HR acts like a support department that assists with various programs and training, including creating corporate culture manuals so that others can better fulfill their roles. For example, training programs for team leaders or senior executives on culture building and employee engagement.
3. Compliance and Risk Management
Provides senior management with perspectives on ethics and risks, while ensuring this new culture aligns with the company's risk management strategy.4. Middle Managers
Middle managers are the bridge between executives and employees. They help employees engage with the company's culture and implement strategies developed by executives. Additionally, middle managers are also responsible for new employees, so another role of this group is selecting the right people to join the organization and participating in onboarding, which is an important step for new employees to learn about corporate culture.
5. Employees
Provide feedback on how the desired culture is similar or different from the current culture, what needs improvement, and how much it aligns with employee needs and expectations. Additionally, they must adjust their own behavior and attitude to match the new culture.
Sample questions for assessing employees' perspectives on corporate culture
- How comfortable do you feel sharing ideas with the team?
Honesty is a key to creating a good atmosphere at work. Building an corporate culture where everyone is honest with each other creates trust between team members and makes people feel more engaged with their work.
- Do you dare to be creative and take risks? If not, why not?
Willingness to take risks and try is the birthplace of innovation. And when team members have freedom in their work and don't fear mistakes, they become happier with their work.
- Do you have work-life balance?
Of course, both the physical and mental health of employees directly affect teamwork and work efficiency. Because people who come to work tired and burned out probably don't want to interact with others much.
- Is your team leader a good example?
Instead of asking directly what the relationship between team members and team leaders is like, this question helps see the overall management picture of team leaders better.
Summary
The responsibility of creating a culture that meets the needs of everyone in the company isn't just the responsibility of HR alone as many people understand, but it's the duty and responsibility of everyone who has been assigned different roles. And to successfully create the culture we want to exist, everyone must have mutual understanding first, then work together to build that culture.
At Ngern Tid Lor PLC, we have dedicated time and attention seriously to building a values-driven organization. Our corporate culture is the result of intentional design, not something that occurred naturally.
If you want to learn more about our journey and the way we've done it, join TIDLOR Culture Wow and exchange ideas about values with us!
Interested, contact 02-792-1990 or fill out the form here to wait for a callback from Culture Gangster
Source:
https://hbr.org/2021/02/company-culture-is-everyones-responsibility