Company culture is the personality of a company. It can enable employees to achieve better quality work and feel more comfortable in their work environment. On the flip side, a company’s culture could also inhibit the level of work employees do while in the work place. A strong culture is important for employee engagement, alignment, motivation, focus and brand burnishing (Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch)

 

Culture cannot be manufactured. Everyone from the CEO down nurtures it. While there are no clear standards to define company culture, it has two major components – overall philosophy and environment of a workplace. Although the former determines the latter, both are still mutually dependent.

 

Overall company philosophy

This is the soul of the company - its core values and beliefs. This is my vision: 

• Never get defined by the box
  Innovation. Innovation. Innovation.
  Be entrepreneurial
  Practice creative problem solving

• Learning is an approach to life 
  willingness to learn 
  Open mindedness
  Not afraid to try attitude

• Embrace the unknown with open arms
  Optimism and faith in the future
  Risk hence reward attitude
  Failure is only a learning tool

• Make money without doing evil
  Always assess social and environmental impact
  Awareness leads to change

  

Workplace environment

 Physical space

• Open spaces for easy convenient collaboration, interaction and free flow of ideas.
• Warm, comfortable personal spaces that enable creative thinking.
• Bringing the outdoors in. Using nature as inspiration.
• A lounging area ideal for group brainstorming or just hanging out for some r & r.
•  A small private dedicated de-stress area ideal for yoga or reading or quite meditation
• Bonding over food and drinks.

Psychological space

• Work that challenges motivates and promotes important conversations and free flow of ideas.
• Socially and environmentally responsible work (whenever possible)
• Hands-on approach; freely share opinions and ideas.
• Promoting de-stressed life style for employees – flexible hours, relaxed dress code, small perks like shuttle service, telecommuting, nanny services etc.
• ‘Rollup your sleeve and pitch in anywhere you are needed’ attitude
• Being silly, relaxed, not take life too seriously attitude
   

It’s really the people that make the company it is. I think that making a bet on the employee’s potential rather than experience is less risk and more reward. Global diversity will always be a focus for me. Although employees share common goals and visions, diversity in personalities, spoken languages, cultures, and interests is a breeding ground for innovation and growth. And lastly, keeping communication within the company accessible and open to any and all like sending emails with suggestions or questions to the CEO or any exec and expecting an answer.

Shawn Parr aptly captures the essence - “Culture is a balanced blend of human psychology, attitudes, actions, and beliefs that combined create either pleasure or pain, serious momentum or miserable stagnation.”