Here’s a statistic to kick things off: we spend approximately ⅓ of our time here on Earth working. This is either a terrifying number or a rewarding fact; it depends on your work experience and, ultimately, how that time has been spent. While every job will have highs and lows, a critical factor that affects our experience of work is the organisational culture.
Organisational culture, in academic terms, is the collective way of thinking and doing things in a particular place that influences collective beliefs and perceptions. In less academic terms, the organisational culture is essentially the vibe of the place.
Culture is ultimately a make-or-break factor for employees. Great pay is motivating, but if individuals feel like they’re walking on eggshells every time they set foot into the office, or don’t feel respected and are constantly belittled, forget it - they’ll be out before you can say goodbye.
Great culture is motivating. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, feeling like you belong (social needs) and you’re valued and respected (self-esteem needs) are critical to being motivated.
Most people want to work in an environment where they feel respected, and like they belong. Culture also creates a sense of identity within the organisation, that helps direct employees in their own decision-making and goal-setting. When there’s a genuine belief of, this is who we are and the kind of thing we strive for, people have a clear path to self-realisation within an organisation
How might an organisation define its culture? Before we make any attempts to improve culture or assumptions about what culture entails, it’s important to understand how multi-faceted organisational culture really is.
Many organisations recognise the value of culture and use surface-level cultural perks to try and attract top talent in the recruitment process.
Edward T. Hall pioneered the iceberg model of culture. While his work refers to culture on a societal level, it’s easily applied to examine a corporate culture and helps us understand exactly how culture develops.