)
)
)
You hear the phrase “company culture” with alarming frequency. It’s a buzzword that conjures up visions of office ping pong tables and free lunch Fridays. It’s supposed to propel skilled individuals to your company while retaining your top talent.
But in the digital world, you can’t follow the same playbook, especially if you are transitioning your company culture over to digital after being in the office. Work flexibility is great, but is everyone ready to give up the office experience for it?
Knowing how to change company culture requires a dynamic, robust plan that’s specific, measurable, and attainable. You can’t turn your business into Google, Adobe, or HubSpot overnight.
But it is possible.
Whether you’ve noticed the deterioration of culture in the mass exodus to the remote world or you want to change company culture to reap its benefits, changing it is a task that must be free of trepidation while using a unique approach.
Embodying your desire for change into a full-fledged movement
Before you dive into the specifics of how to change company culture, you have to understand that it’s more than just a series of changes or ideas. It’s a full-fledged movement.
But movements aren’t always swift. They’re born out of fulfillment or passion for change that has a trickle-down effect throughout the organization. They also don’t rely on the overuse of authority by a leader to quicken the transformation to a new company culture.
Above all, changing company culture relies mostly on one thing: you.
Being the change you want to see in your employees is the most effective way to facilitate a movement. This Gandhian principle isn’t overbearing or strict. It’s not authoritative nor directive. It’s simply leading by example. And that’s perhaps the best way to embody the spirit of a culture change and company-wide movement.
Ways to change company culture
Now that you’re the face of the movement, you can dive more deeply into the specifics of culture change. Keep in mind that how you decide to transform your culture is a mix of essential ideas and trial-and-error. If something isn’t working, don’t hesitate to move to a different idea or concept. Or if an aspect is promoting change, grasp the reasoning behind its success and employ it in other areas of your company-wide culture movement.
Trade micromanagement for autonomy
Micromanagement is the sworn enemy of the digital workplace. It’s something that breeds resentment and makes workers resistant and hesitant to embrace a change in company culture.
Even if it’s in your nature to keep tight control, resist the temptation. In the remote world, autonomy is king. You hired your employees for a reason; let that trust in their abilities shine through.
When you welcome autonomy, you create an internal system that places self-worth on the individual and the team. If you were notorious for micromanagement in the past, eliminating it as much as possible is a tangible part of a change in company culture that your employees can see.
Start a culture from the beginning
Whether you’re onboarding new hires or expanding your workforce, starting the culture from the beginning is integral to success.
Onboarding is a great time to think about the company you want to be, and it’s a great time to establish new habits. Like moving into a new house, everything is a little different, and you have time to create new norms.
Prioritizing prioritization
One key aspect to how to change company culture is to get better alignment. When everyone knows what needs to be done and can prioritize tasks on their own, you’ve crossed a huge barrier. Now leaders don’t need to constantly be controlling tasks and schedules. Instead, they can focus on improving policies, collaboration, and other aspects that directly impact the culture.
Rethink your approach to employee productivity. Priorities, or what’s most important on a regular basis, should permeate every level of your organization. When these sink in with employees, they have the framework that defines what they do in a given day, week, month, or year. This leads to habits, which eventually turn into systems that define your company and its culture.
Encourage the social side of the remote workplace
The Zoom party or virtual water cooler talk have become wildly popular since the recent switch to the remote workplace. But don’t let the social side of such events sour you into thinking they’re unnecessary.
Humans are social beings. They crave interaction with other people, and even most introverts can’t go forever in solitude. Because remote work can bring about excessive isolation and loneliness, online social events become even more imperative to a change in company culture.
And remember that your attendance as a leader or manager is mandatory. You want to be the change, and you want people to remember what makes the organization special. Even a half-hour dip into the social side of a company is time well spent.
Be the change you want to see, or at least, become more visible
Not every leader or manager is a harbinger of change. Some are more content to stay out of sight or only come around as necessary. So if you’re not the charismatic leader that you envisioned or want to be, begin a proactive approach to make yourself more visible. The more your employees see the change in you, the more likely they are to embrace the shift in culture.
Photo by LYCS Architecture on Unsplash
You hear the phrase “company culture” with alarming frequency. It’s a buzzword that conjures up visions of office ping pong tables and free lunch Fridays. It’s supposed to propel skilled individuals to your company while retaining your top talent.
But in the digital world, you can’t follow the same playbook, especially if you are transitioning your company culture over to digital after being in the office. Work flexibility is great, but is everyone ready to give up the office experience for it?
Knowing how to change company culture requires a dynamic, robust plan that’s specific, measurable, and attainable. You can’t turn your business into Google, Adobe, or HubSpot overnight.
But it is possible.
Whether you’ve noticed the deterioration of culture in the mass exodus to the remote world or you want to change company culture to reap its benefits, changing it is a task that must be free of trepidation while using a unique approach.
Embodying your desire for change into a full-fledged movement
Before you dive into the specifics of how to change company culture, you have to understand that it’s more than just a series of changes or ideas. It’s a full-fledged movement.
But movements aren’t always swift. They’re born out of fulfillment or passion for change that has a trickle-down effect throughout the organization. They also don’t rely on the overuse of authority by a leader to quicken the transformation to a new company culture.
Above all, changing company culture relies mostly on one thing: you.
Being the change you want to see in your employees is the most effective way to facilitate a movement. This Gandhian principle isn’t overbearing or strict. It’s not authoritative nor directive. It’s simply leading by example. And that’s perhaps the best way to embody the spirit of a culture change and company-wide movement.
Ways to change company culture
Now that you’re the face of the movement, you can dive more deeply into the specifics of culture change. Keep in mind that how you decide to transform your culture is a mix of essential ideas and trial-and-error. If something isn’t working, don’t hesitate to move to a different idea or concept. Or if an aspect is promoting change, grasp the reasoning behind its success and employ it in other areas of your company-wide culture movement.
Trade micromanagement for autonomy
Micromanagement is the sworn enemy of the digital workplace. It’s something that breeds resentment and makes workers resistant and hesitant to embrace a change in company culture.
Even if it’s in your nature to keep tight control, resist the temptation. In the remote world, autonomy is king. You hired your employees for a reason; let that trust in their abilities shine through.
When you welcome autonomy, you create an internal system that places self-worth on the individual and the team. If you were notorious for micromanagement in the past, eliminating it as much as possible is a tangible part of a change in company culture that your employees can see.
Start a culture from the beginning
Whether you’re onboarding new hires or expanding your workforce, starting the culture from the beginning is integral to success.
Onboarding is a great time to think about the company you want to be, and it’s a great time to establish new habits. Like moving into a new house, everything is a little different, and you have time to create new norms.
Prioritizing prioritization
One key aspect to how to change company culture is to get better alignment. When everyone knows what needs to be done and can prioritize tasks on their own, you’ve crossed a huge barrier. Now leaders don’t need to constantly be controlling tasks and schedules. Instead, they can focus on improving policies, collaboration, and other aspects that directly impact the culture.
Rethink your approach to employee productivity. Priorities, or what’s most important on a regular basis, should permeate every level of your organization. When these sink in with employees, they have the framework that defines what they do in a given day, week, month, or year. This leads to habits, which eventually turn into systems that define your company and its culture.
Encourage the social side of the remote workplace
The Zoom party or virtual water cooler talk have become wildly popular since the recent switch to the remote workplace. But don’t let the social side of such events sour you into thinking they’re unnecessary.
Humans are social beings. They crave interaction with other people, and even most introverts can’t go forever in solitude. Because remote work can bring about excessive isolation and loneliness, online social events become even more imperative to a change in company culture.
And remember that your attendance as a leader or manager is mandatory. You want to be the change, and you want people to remember what makes the organization special. Even a half-hour dip into the social side of a company is time well spent.
Be the change you want to see, or at least, become more visible
Not every leader or manager is a harbinger of change. Some are more content to stay out of sight or only come around as necessary. So if you’re not the charismatic leader that you envisioned or want to be, begin a proactive approach to make yourself more visible. The more your employees see the change in you, the more likely they are to embrace the shift in culture.
Photo by LYCS Architecture on Unsplash
