Why YOU Should Care About Organisational Culture?

I’ve met so many entrepreneurs who operate with the notion that the success of a business largely depends on the product or service alone. But honestly, what many of them fail to understand is that a phenomenal product/service will only get you so far. However, it’s another ingredient that will truly determine if you survive & sustain the race at large. And that is culture. Read on to find out why is culture that crucial & how you as an entrepreneur can effectively craft it. 

So, what is culture? I’m sure there are definitions aplenty! It is basically the air you walk into at any organisation that you even unknowingly breathe in as well as contribute towards. I’ll break it down for you in the simplest of ways - Culture is how you will be remembered as an entrepreneur by your organisation. As a tangible business, you are also building something intangible, invaluable - that is organisational culture. As a business owner who is looking to build a successful & profitable business, you NEED to care about the culture you build. 

It is the basis for alignment of purpose and shared action. It impacts everything from your business to how the media perceives you. The #1 mistake that most entrepreneurs make is to believe that culture a subject that is strictly for large organisations. However, what they don’t understand that you don’t need a ‘culture charter’ for when you become highly capable & successful. You actually need it to scale & succeed as a business owner. 

If you’re the kind of business owner who is thinking of scale then think of culture as an alignment tool. Alignment of communication, action & thought. When you design & define a common way of thinking and addressing it becomes the natural way of behaviour for your employees at large. It becomes easier to align and deal with situations as well as conflicts too. 

Culture also defines your company’s internal and external identity. It is the overall health of your organisation and determines how employees not only view themselves but also each other. In fact the best kept secret to build high performance teams is to actually focus on culture building. Imagine if your employees create a shared sense of awareness on each other’s strengths, perspectives and valued interests? You will start playing on each other’s strengths and move forward like an army. There will be lesser hassles, egos and even resistance to new ideas. Does this STILL sound like something trivial? 

Entrepreneurs, culture prevents wrong thinking, processes and even people. It’s time to focus on your core values as an organisation. A positive culture sows positive outcomes. It brings people together and fosters cohesiveness between employees from different backgrounds. So, start taking stock of your ‘stock’ because it is the foundation of your organisation’s success. 

Rajiv