What's Your Company Culture

Culture is a frequently used term that is often applied to companies or teams in an effort to describe their behaviour, values, or ways of working. However, the word "culture" can be ambiguous and even deceptive. What does it truly mean to say that a team possesses a remarkable culture? These words lack any objective meaning—they are subjective and dependent on the organization itself.

So, what exactly makes a company culture strong? Essentially, there are only two factors that contribute to a unique company culture: behaviours and values. Behaviours encompass how individuals carry out their work, how they communicate and interact with one another, how they conduct meetings, how they handle deadlines, and whether they tend to praise or criticize, among other things. On the other hand, values represent the things that hold the greatest importance to the employees—what they prioritize when making decisions. In essence, behaviours reflect what people do, while values explain why they do it.

If you wish to understand the type of culture your company possesses, you need only observe its behaviours and values as identified by the entire workforce, rather than solely relying on management's perspective. This approach is far more valuable than attempting to speculate about your company's culture based on your own opinions or a vague survey.

If you are seeking ways to enhance your workplace, it is crucial to comprehend your culture and how it impacts your relationships with colleagues. However, engaging with the concept of culture at work does not have to be intimidating or uncomfortable. To begin, it is beneficial to understand why culture holds such significance and what it can offer you.

In most cases, the only way to witness change in your workplace is by identifying what needs to be changed and advocating for those changes to occur. Culture can often be one of the greatest obstacles in implementing such changes. If a negative culture is already established, persuading people to embrace change becomes challenging—they may feel as though they are pushing against an immovable object that was created long ago.

By utilizing our DISC and Values assessment, you can gain valuable insights into your company's culture and make informed decisions about how to improve it.