What are some ways to establish a good culture in a small business?
I want to establish a culture of stellar customer service and a dedication to learning and working hard, while also having a respect for personal life. I have written these goals, and a few others, down and have shared them with my team. They all say they agree with these goals. How do I make them part of our culture though? There been a few times where I don't think some people are really pursuing these goals. I would appreciate hearing how others have worked to create a lasting culture. Thank you.
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Feb 12, 2016
Hi Kevin, I appreciate this is four months late, but I've just joined this site and I thought you might appreciate a new fresh perspective to the question you posted. You've clearly received a wealth of good advice already though.
In my experience, the key to creating a collective and aligned culture within any Team or business is to generate real belief in what is trying to be achieved and how you all intend to get there.
To get to this position requires you to outline the objective, for you here it is delivering stellar customer service {correct me if i'm wrong}.
The next step is to ask the Team to get involved in how to achieve this - let them get involved in setting their own goals whilst understanding what the key objective is. You can do this in the form of workshops or Team meetings. The secret is give them space and let them feel guided but not managed through this process. You can set simple questions like;
- What are the key goals or KPI's to achieving stellar customer service?
Get them to rate how good they are today against the standards they have outlined.
- What kind of behaviours are required to achieve these stellar customer service goals
Get them to rate how good they are today against the standards they have outlined.
- What support do you need from me {the leader} to achieve the above?
From this position, you can agree the steps to success together as a Team and form a 'Team contract' of how this is going to work on a day to day basis and who is responsible for what.
You will then have an aligned and engaged Team with clear objectives that everyone is accountable for. What you will also have is a Team culture that is strong, cohesive and collaborative. It is then your responsibility to lead by coaching and help them deliver stellar customer service {whatever the agreed KPI is} by the agreed timeline.
If you have any questions, please get in touch.
Regards
Dan
Nov 24, 2015
Hi Kevin,
First of all leadership should be one of your primary skills, not necessarily hierarchically but earn the respect of your employees. In other words you should give tangible examples of what are your goals.
Another option is to build cross-functional Project Teams so to encourage the link among different areas.
Last but not least, advertise as much as possible what are the "Company" ojectives and how all together you will get them.
These are top of mind ideas, more than happy to discuss it further with you.
All the Best
Emilio
Sep 28, 2015
Great question - one that more people should be asking. I addressed this a half year ago in my newsletter - 7 Steps to Cultivate the Organizational Culture You Will Love - http://opendoorhr.com/opendoorhr-newsletter/april-13-2015
Sep 25, 2015
Wow, thanks for all of the great advice. I have some work to do, but you have all helped set me on the right path. Really appreciate your help.
Sep 24, 2015
Hi Kevin,
Your expectation from your employees will become practical from your trust in them.
You have informed them of your expectation .Now there should be cultural drives to educate people on these expectations and values.
They should know and be educated that it is a part of their own development first and then company.
These soft working environmental matters take a lot of time before they are really evident as a cultural value and practice.Practice comes into effect long after education and understanding through empowerment and trust.
But at some point you will need to have a system of checks and balances which does not harm your trust and name with the employees .It should be very transparent and clearly communicated in the system.
This is a very detailed and delicate topic and needs detailed observation and a long term commitment.
Best Of Luck,
Zafar
647-818-8550
Toronto, Canada
Sep 24, 2015
Hi Kevin, first make sure that there is no problem of internal communication. Do you think all have understood and agree with the message and do they see what the result, if followed (or not) can be. Did you explain why, do they understand or respect the initiative and even more important: do they have ideas etc they want to share. Culture is not a thing you can produce as a sticker. It has to be clear, embrassed and shared. Go for it... and thank you for asking.
Sep 23, 2015
You have to take the lead and be the role model of the culture you desire in the organization.
Sep 23, 2015
A good Corporate Culture is possible only when it is generated and practiced from Top to Bottom. And "TOP" includes the topmost- be it the CEO, or, the Owner/ Founder.
Sep 23, 2015
Kevin,
Great question. Here is a recent article that that you might find helpful on culture....
http://eqstl.com/the-culture-of-culture-how-hatchbucks-team-driven-approach-drives-results-for-everyone/
Sep 23, 2015
I think it's great that you're working toward this! As others have said, they will need an example to follow. Show them what you're looking for through your own actions, behaviors, and attitudes. You could even come up with a few specific ways to develop better customer service and train your team on those specific things. If you can post your goals somewhere, then do that, so they are visible to the team and can serve as a reminder. You could even divide up your goals and focus on one goal for an entire week so they can really learn to implement it. As with anything, it will take time and consistency. The change you're looking for won't be immediate, and you'll need to stick with it and remind yourself and your team for about 6 weeks before it really will become second nature, but the pay off will be well worth it. Best of luck to you!
Sep 23, 2015
Kevin, quick response is for your to ensure each of those "goals" are tied into each part of every role. Do you interview for people who also value those goals? Are your performance metrics being measured against the goals? Are the goals visible; e.g., posters in hallways and on bulletin boards, screen savers on each employee's computer, etc.? SLL
Sep 22, 2015
Hi Kevin,
I love that you are thinking about culture, because, unless it's managed, your organizational culture will have a far greater impact on your business results than anything else, and can, if not managed, overrule your strategy. We work with organizations on how to develop and maintain a culture that supports strategy and drives performance.
You mentioned that you have a few 'goals' written down. These sound a bit more like values to me than goals - customer service, dedication to learning and working hard sound the like core principles you would like to guide behaviour in your organization, and so I would treat them as such. There are lots of things that help shape culture (if you want to message me I can send you a culture map exercise to complete - no fee) but there are some core things that need focus:
1 . Leadership. Leaders are the custodians of your culture. In addition to you role modelling (which others have rightly mentioned) , you need to make sure you hire people who will live your values. Make sure that you ask people you plan to hire about how they define those things, and for examples of how they have lived those principles in the work they have done to date. Its not a sure fire solution - but it helps ensure people know that you expect that of them the moment they walk through the door of your business.
2. Values, when they are truly embedded in an organization, help guide action and decisions. Consider using them as a lens for meetings. If you are looking at decisions ask yourselves - how does fit with customer service, dedicated to learning and working hard? If it's not aligned you may want to reconsider why you are planning to take action. This also helps people tangibly see that these values aren't just something stuck up on wall, or that you just give lip service to, they are actually how your organization operates.
3. Keep it front of mind. Many organizations have 'safety moments' which are short discussions, presentations or tips that they use to start meetings - its a way of keeping safety front of mind. Why not have values moments? Ask people to share a story, or an example that reflects those values in action in your business.
4. Recognize the right behaviour. I would consider how you currently reward and recognize your people, and whether there is a way to include / tailor your recognition so that you are specifically acknowledging behaviour in line with your values. It doesn't have to be monetary, it could be a roving award for the best example of customer service, or the person who has helped others develop the most. The point is that what gets rewarded gets repeated, so if you want those values to live, start recognizing them.
There are definitely other things I could suggest, but those would be my top 4. As I said, I'm happy to share some tools and things that might help - just send me a message. I think I also have some documents that might help (tips sheets etc) so I will add them to the resource section.
Hope that helps!
Jess
Sep 22, 2015
To promote & establish TRUST, I recommend LIFO life orientations communications. Establish a marketing driven company based upon your the tripod of employees, customers and profits staying in balance.
Sep 22, 2015
Sep 22, 2015
Having been in the services industry, I understand your desire for "stellar customer service". After trying many different models, I tried the "FISH! Philosophy" with my staff. This is based on the Pike Place Fish Market and how they went from "drudging" to work to being excited about going to work. It is a very basic with 4 concepts:
1.choosing one’s attitude,
2.playing at work,
3.making someone’s day, and
4.being present.
We adopted this by having everyone in the company read the first FISH! book and they received a stuff "Pete the Perch" fish which they placed on the top of their computer monitors. We reinforced the concept at our all hands meetings by giving away something "fishy". Examples are candy fish rings, plastic fishes, fishes whose eyes pop out when you squeeze them, etc. (Oriental Trading Company is where we purchased most of the items. Everyone in the company from myself as the CEO down to Customer Service Representatives participated in FISH! and kudos were sent out by me when staff was recognized by customers for work well done. This truly turned into everyone walking the talk and talking the walk. From my perspective this is how our culture was built. If someone was not with the FISH! Philosophy, other staff would be the ones to say something to the individual as opposed to it coming down from management. I overhead one employee carried this out with another employee who was not carrying their weight and it was one of the best moments I had running the company.
My experience is people at all levels of the organization need to see that everyone in the organization believes in the culture and it is not just something that came down from the top. FISH! may not be the answer for you. This is just how my experience turned into a company where people wanted to come to work, grew their capabilities, and managed work versus personal time.
Sep 22, 2015
Good culture, starts with good people and good leaders. An open, honest and fair environment makes a better culture. Developing and investing in the people creates and the best culture. Remember your people are your greatest asset, without whom there is no culture.
Specifically regarding goals, it was very interesting to note your comments regarding the goal setting. You say you've written the goals and shared them and your team say they agree with YOUR goals. But are they THEIRS? People will invest their hearts, emotions, and their very being in their own goals which can be very emotive. Set the theme of what you want to do but ask them what goals they would set to achieve it. Let them BE the team rather then be a part of it.
Sep 22, 2015
You can not create culture unless it is authentic to the founder(s) of the organization's values. Culture is the norms of behaviours that one learns by watching the founder. The idea that you can 'create' culture has been debunked so many times. In fact research shows that when organizations attempt a culture change they fail 85-90% of the time. The only success is when they have leaders who actually evolve the original values of the company and don't start from scratch. So whomever is your founder set the culture. Celebrate what you have.
Sep 22, 2015
Establishing a good culture in small business is key to growing into a big company. It is most important to establish honesty and trust amount all levels (less levels mean better) of the organization. It is also important to establish a culture of engaging employees and recognition and appreciation. You want your co-workers to want to come to work. We may not be all be influenced by the same things that bring us to work. But we want to be happy and engaged to come to work. That begins with You! Be sure to keep the principles/best practices of employee engagement in the forefront.
10 best practices: Strategic imperative; vision, values, and goals; Leadership, The Voice of Employees; Rewards, Recognition, and Career Path Development; Accountability; Enablement of Empowerment, Well-being; Meaning; First Line Managers.
Good luck.
Sep 22, 2015
Hello Kevin, organizational cultures are driven from the top. The key of any culture is one's behaviour, one's relationship and one's perception about his/her job and the organization as a whole. Though there are structured mechanisms to bring about this change, all of those strongly rely or suggest on "You" doing something about it. Hence, the more natural you feel about the changes you desire, the more easily they will influence and rub off on your staff. Again, you cannot change the culture by setting goals and targets. Such changes will only happen voluntarily and thru exercise of acceptance and willingness. All I can suggest is that you take one change at a time, let it seep into the system and then move to the next one. Hope this helps.
Sep 22, 2015
You have to lead by example, take ownership and be accountable. You also need to trust, which means releasing control and enabling others to feel empowered to make decisions without fear. People will make mistakes but that is part of learning. You need to feel comfortable enough to let people make mistakes. Encourage employees to get involved in the business by sharing your challenges and asking for solutions to resolve these. Doing so will increase commitment as employees will feel valued and that they are being given the opportunity to contribute to the business. People like to feel important and that their opinion matters.
Extremely useful insight, Thanks, Steffen. KR, Emilio