Leaders are positioned to shape and establish a culture where employees can thrive and maximize their potential. According to an ICON article, “Finding the perfect cultural fit is crucial when searching for a new employer. It goes beyond just the job description and salary package. Cultural fit refers to how well an individual aligns with the values, beliefs, and behaviors of an organization.”
Leaders set the culture tone: Leaders at the top set the culture tone. When a leader sets a positive culture tone, where employees are valued, appreciated, respected and cared for thus employees are more likely to be highly motivated and perform well.
A ‘positive workplace culture is an offshoot of positive psychology, an evidence-based branch of psychology focused on the character strengths and behaviors that lead to living a life of meaning and purpose. People’s behaviors at work are shaped by the organization’s collective beliefs and values. Applying the research supporting positive psychology to the workplace showcases the characteristics and behaviors that lead to individual workers flourishing. When people across the business flourish, the company does better as a whole and employees are happy.”
On the other hand, negative workplace culture can become toxic. “A toxic work culture is a company environment dominated by practices, policies and management styles that perpetuate unhealthy habits and conflicts among team members.” A toxic culture produces high absenteeism, low productivity, high turnover, silos, gossip, and internal employee competition. Thus, if leaders are emulating unhealthy behavior, then it is more likely the culture will become toxic and unhealthy. More employees now are known for leaving a toxic culture and taking a less paying job for the sake of their mental and emotional health. Money is not the answer to everything!
Leaders can shape positive culture first with a commitment to ensure that all employees will exhibit the core values starting with senior leaders. Second, any behavior that is contrary to the core values will not be tolerated. Additionally, methods to build a cohesive and positive culture are to implement continuous learning and development for all employees, mentorship programs, inclusivity focused programs, and a robust employee wellness program to name a few. Thus, “a strong company culture is important for your company’s longevity and business success.” In summary the ball is in the leader’s court to determine the culture he/she would like to produce.
If you are a leader, ask yourself:
- What traits (behaviors/actions) of my company culture are exhibited by senior leaders?
- What traits of my company culture would I like to see change?
References:
https://builtin.com/company-culture/bad-company-culture#
https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/why-workplace-culture-matters
https://careers.iconplc.com/blogs/2024-4/home-sweet-office-why-culture-compatibility-matters#