How to operationalise your culture – 20 key indicators

If you’ve been following my Workplace Culture articles this month, by now I’m sure you’re getting how important team culture is.

Not just to the success of your business…

But to the management of your stress and sanity levels as well!

You may have even dug deep and taken the BespokeHR culture assessment (did I mention it’s a free exercise?)…

And found out your culture rating:

Is your culture leading the pack, excelling, doing good work or on struggle street?

At this point you should have a strong idea of the type of culture that you want in your business.

Next, it’s about operationalisation.

(^^ yes, that’s a real word! ^^)

Which is just a fancy way of saying:

To take abstract concepts and turn them into measurable variables.

Like the beliefs, attitudes and values rattling around the back of your mind about your ideal vision of your company…

Transforming into:

Concrete processespolicies and procedures that get your employees living and breathing your culture.

To help you do this, I’ve combed through all of the areas that I develop with my 1:1 consulting and coaching clients…

And whittled it down to 20 key indicators that you can work on immediately to create workplace culture you want.

The below 20 indicators will help communicate and install your culture so it is important to reflect whether the below areas reflect the type of culture you are trying to create and is how you behave/present yourself in these areas consistent?

 

20 indicators of your culture

  1. Company mission and vision
  2. Clear values and descriptions of what they mean
  3. Authority levels and position descriptions
  4. Code of conduct
  5. Customer service standards
  6. Internal communication channels (i.e. intranet, meetings, newsletters)
  7. Reward and recognition processes
  8. Training and development programs
  9. Induction processes
  10. Branding
  11. Website and career section
  12. Social media
  13. Employee surveys
  14. Customer surveys
  15. Leadership training
  16. Meeting structures
  17. Organisation Learning and sharing of information
  18. Corporate social responsibility and positions
  19. Performance Review processes
  20. Workplace layout 

Need help with any of the 20 areas, don’t worry we can help.

Case Study: How does Apple does it

Steve Jobs said the secret to Apple is that:

“We hire people who want to make the best things in the world” 

This statement (when lived) links how hard Apple employees work and how greatly they care about the products they make.

Putting it into practice:

I’ve cut this directly from Apple’s website, so that you can see some of the ways they reflect their culture in writing:

“Do your life’s best work here. With the whole world watching.”

“The people here at Apple don’t just create products, they create the kind of wonder that’s revolutionised entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it.”

“Inclusion inspires innovation. Great ideas push the world forward. And they can come from anywhere. Diversity makes us stronger every day. Our commitment to diversity is part of everything we do. We foster an environment that allows all employees to contribute, grow, and push their talents to achieve incredible things. It’s why we work with suppliers who share our values. And why we continue to launch initiatives that will lead to a stronger, more representative workforce.”

“The future of tech isn’t a product. It’s people.”

“We believe people from every background, race, and gender have a right to pursue their dreams.”

“Apple is open. Open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship, or who they love.”

“It’s what we do together that sets up apart. We’re perfectionists. Idealists. Inventors. Forever tinkering with products and processes, always on the lookout for better. Whether you work at one of our global offices, offsite, or even at home, a job at Apple will be demanding. But it also rewards bright, original thinking and hard work. And none of us here would have it any other way.”

As you can see, it’s just not one thing that defines Apple’s culture.

So the question is this:

Are your workplace tools matching the message you want to get across to create the culture you desire?

Any questions?

 

Do you want to get a feel for where your company is sitting RIGHT NOW from a culture and people planning perspective? Start here to identify your issues and generate your plan. Click the link for more info: www.90dca.com.au/cultureiqscore