Culture may be the single biggest factor in the success or failure of a small business. Some cultures allow an idea to thrive, cultivate and grow. Others can cause an otherwise great idea to die on the vine. The difficulty is that the same cultures do not work the same in all situations.
Even in larger groups culture is of critical import. It’s everything from how new employees figure out what to do, how the team supports each other outside of defined projects and how innovation happens. Culture plays a tremendous role in all that we do.
Too often management attempts to drive culture from the top down. They say that employees should collaborate but then don’t provide the mechanisms. They say that new employees should be brought in but then schedules don’t allow for it. It’s usually well intended but the actions don’t quite live up to the intentions. It’s better to have a culture that tries and sometimes doesn’t achieve all that is desired than a culture that consistently fails to meet its goals. Under-promise, over-deliver.
Actions tell us everything we need to know – both about a company and individuals.