Just because someone says its bad, this does not necessarily mean that the workplace culture is wrong.

Employee engagement feedback is indicating that an organisation has a good, bad, stifling and inspirational culture all at the same time. How can this be? What is the right culture?

Lets consider some of the things that shape organisational culture:

The purpose of the organisation and often its founders
- what the organisation is all about, what it values and this generally reflects the belief and attitudes of the founding members.

The sector it belongs to
- regulatory environment, and the type of work that gets done. Does it require accuracy, creativity, predictability, safety, risk taking?

Its strategy and goals
- Is it transforming, or does it need to focus on stability or work accuracy?

The countries in which it operates
- “normal” workplace practices, work ethics, and legal frameworks vary across different countries.

The intercultural composition of the organisation
- Who is in your team? What country were they born, or their parents born? Of those countries what is considered the right way to work, the right way to lead and motivate the workforce?

How each function in the organisation needs their work practices to be
- How the executive team, marketing department and the IT department need to work is often quite different. Whilst there are elements of culture that are important to bind the organisation together, each business function may require a unique tune that helps them perform their work optimally.

What works in one industry or department may not work in another. For instance, a highly structured and disciplined culture might be ideal for a military unit, but very likely to stifle creativity in a design agency and be considered bad.

“The place lacks structure” to one may mean “Autonomy and flexibility” to another.

Just because someone says bad, this does not necessarily mean that the culture is wrong. It may mean that the person does not agree with the work practices that are in place. Or the way they need to work is an emotional stretch for them personally.

The right culture is one that is optimised to help achieve the organisation’s goals, and this depends on context. It also exists within the constraints of what is emotionally sustainable for people that work there, as they are a critical part of the organisation and its ability to execute.

Find out more about how to design and change culture here: https://www.theculturefactor.au/services