Here's Why There's No Such Thing as a Good Company Culture

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There are a few obvious things people look for in a company culture. We all want to be where people are treated well, where leadership cares, and where the benefits are terrific. At the same time, most people agree that mistreating workers, lying, stealing, and cheating are sure signs of a bad culture.

But there's more to culture than these broad outlines, and that's where most companies and workers run into trouble. Once the fundamentals are covered--such as decent pay, safe conditions, and clear expectations--I believe great culture comes down to values and fit between the company and the individuals. What's perfect for one person can be terrible for someone else, so it's important for people on both sides of the hiring line to discuss expectations.

Cultural Alignment & Fit

I know a lot of people don't like the word "culture fit", as they believe it is a pretense for groupthink or exclusion. I understand but don't agree with this perspective. Across all spectrums of our life, I think we are looking for people who share our values and ambitions; human nature is tribal. For example, my wife and I are different people and disagree often, but we share similar values and almost agree on the big picture things that are most important to our family.

Taking this back to company culture, consider these hypotheticals:

Company A was started by ex-athletes who value competition, and the culture emphasizes driving employees to their limits. Everything is measured, so people know where they stand in relation to their peers. Company events are intense and push people outside their comfort zones. Each year, the bottom 20 percent of performers are asked to leave, and the top 20 percent get the lion's share of the bonus pool. People at Company A love being challenged, grow very quickly and accept the consequences when they don't meet expectations. The company is a leader in its field, and its products are always innovative. People work long hours, but they love it. Growth has ranged from 30 percent to 40 percent a year. The people who leave company A often go on to leadership roles in other business as a result of their training and experience.

Company B is a family business that has endured for 100 years. Leaders there value loyalty, tenure, consistency and reliability. Company events focus on teamwork and connecting to the community. Clients value Company B because they know what to expect, and they trust the people. As a result, the company has a loyal base of clients, but market share is sliding. Many employees have worked there for more than 10 years. Growth has been between 0-5 percent. Turnover among rising stars and top performers is higher as there isn't a lot of room for advancement, esp with family members in key leadership roles.

These are both great companies and cultures--for the right people. It's highly doubtful that an employee from Company A would find Company B a great culture to work in or vice versa. That's why it's so critical for company founders to identify early on what culture attributes they want to emphasize and reward in their businesses. This begins by looking inward.

Culture Isn't Always Organic

Culture exists by design or by default and it's much better to have it by design. Everything you really want from a great culture is wrapped up in a pretty simple formula: Vision + Values + Goals/Targets.

Vision: Where is your company headed? Why are you in this particular business, and what do you ultimately hope to accomplish?

Values: More than pretty words on the wall, values need to reflect what really makes your company different. What is the DNA of someone who would be a star? Real core values aren't for marketing and aren't mere platitudes, such as "People are our most important asset." They reflect a point of view, such as "Competition drives improvement."

Goals & Targets: As a leader, you need to know not only where your business is going but how to get there. If you communicate your objectives clearly, your team members will know the score and how to contribute. They will also clearly know when they are not meeting expectations.

Each of the above elements is supported by Clarity and Consistency, meaning the company does what it says and says what it does. In my experience, the companies that frustrate people the most provide mixed messages. When someone realizes he signed up for the wrong team, he'll likely leave on his own. When a company tells someone one thing and acts another way, that person will get frustrated and angry.

Employees Who Retain Company Values

As an example, at Acceleration Partners, one of our core values is "Own it," which reflects our belief that team members are always responsible for their actions and look inward not outward when there are issues or mistakes. What's interesting is that we've found that some candidates who initially seem to admire that value eventually discover that as employees they don't enjoy the level of accountability that comes with it; it's not really who they are or how they live their life. Keeping true to our core values can therefore require some hard choices.

Which just goes to show that there is some real work involved in creating a great culture. It doesn't just happen. Companies and leaders have to be clear about who they are, what they value and where they want to go and employes need to decide if that is a good match. You need to attract your tribe--people who believe in your mission and what you stand for, rather than try to make everyone happy.

A company that tries to be everything to everyone will end up meaning nothing to those who matter most.

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Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, an award-winning performance marketing agency ranked #4 on Glassdoor’s best places to work. Robert was also named twice to Glassdoor’s list of Top CEO of Small and Medium Companies in the US, ranking #2 and was recently named one of Conscious Company’s top 22 conscious business leaders. He is also a member of Marshall Goldsmith's 100 Coaches initiative.