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15 Dec 2003
Breakthrough Article
Culture: Fact or Fiction? By Dean Ferrara - President, ePerformance Learning
Ok, we have all heard reference to culture at one point or another. But do we really understand what culture truly means to our businesses? The dictionary defines culture as follows: The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. I find Scott Delman’s analogy using Monkeys quite interesting as I have seen the whole “Monkey Principle” at work. I guess you could say that I was slightly faster than most of the other monkeys so I was able to reach the top of the stairs and get the banana. Not to say I didn’t get bruised along the way or question whether or not that banana was worth the effort, but when the rest of the Monkeys saw me eating, a shift in our culture was underway.
Is it enough that we provide our employees with a good wage, good benefits, newer vehicles and training? Maybe, but as I talk to and visit more and more contractors and businesses for that matter, the successful ones, and obviously this is subject to your definition of success. But the contractors that just seem a notch above have one thing in common. It’s culture. They certainly know the definition, and they understand the meaning.
Culture should be seamless in a quality organization, but who is responsible for it? A fair question no doubt, one that has varying answers. I was part of the shift in culture when I got the banana, but I can guarantee you that I was only one of many. I truly believe culture begins at the top and works its way down, there is no doubt about that. I also believe that everyone; yes even you the person reading this, is a critical piece to the culture puzzle.
I guess I always knew about Culture but I didn’t really understand the impact it had on an organization up until a few years ago. I have the good fortune to have a customer who is also a friend of mine. He was a friend first, and when I left the family contracting business after nearly 10 years and went out on my own, he gave me the opportunity to help his team become even better than they already were. What was so interesting to me was during this time, this company had just been selected as the Contracting Business, commercial contractor of the year. Obviously they subscribed to the highly recommended, “you don’t have to be sick to get better” theory.
Back in the days of the United Service Alliance (An alliance of commercial mechanical contractors strategically located around the United States and Canada) I was at an annual meeting being held at the Inverness Resort just outside of Denver Colorado. I remember the day like it was yesterday, it was cold, and some snow flurries were in the air and Russ Stevens and I were the only two people on the Resorts golf course that day.
Russ and I enjoy the game of golf and since it was a free day, we decided to tee it up. It was during this round that Russ and I discussed culture and what it means to an organization. Let me tell you, New England Mechanical Systems hasn’t achieved what they have achieved by luck; they have a culture that fosters professional development for all of their employees. Russ started talking about things like good leadership and solid management. He talked about the organization, how good the people that worked there are and how they really focus on self improvement, respecting fellow co-workers, being professional and developing good client relationships.
Many organizations start out with exciting ideas and concepts, but as they grow they lose the culture that made them successful. Other businesses manage to continue growing and keep the culture they created. What separates one type of organization from the other?
One of the key factors to keep business culture is to define the culture you want to create from the beginning, and integrate it into how you hire people, how you treat employees, the type of customer service you provide, and the general environment of your organization.
As you grow it is important to integrate seasoned employees who understand your values, concepts, and culture with the newer employees who will learn to implement them and bring some of their own culture.
“By growing from within, many employees have gotten to experience working in different positions, and have helped to create the culture. As they move up and to different positions they bring those values and ways of working with them. It’s key to have a culture that promotes and rewards learning.
To ensure a culture that lasts through growth and change, organizations in all industries should take the following steps:
• Define the culture and how it is different from other concepts.
• Develop a strategic plan for implementing that culture.
• Senior management must implement that culture in all they do including: hiring, compensation, rewards and incentives, creating the environment, and marketing.
• Make sure employees at all levels know what the culture is and that they buy into it.
• Have seasoned employees train new employees and develop a system where new employees learn the written and unwritten parameters of the culture.
• Constantly evaluate progress and success as you grow.
• Be open to change and inform employees and customers of any changes and how they will benefit.
Culture isn’t born overnight, it’s a process. The hardest piece of this puzzle is the first one and it gets easier as you go.
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