No matter the size of your team, be it a team of 50 or just a few individuals, building a strong company culture is important. One way managers can implement this is through effective personal and team development.
Here, we’ll take a look at the key benefits of cultivating a strong business culture through personal and team development.
What Is a Company Culture?
Before we look at the benefits of implementing and developing a company culture, it is important to define what exactly a company culture means.
The culture of a company is how the organization is defined, through a series of qualities and values. This relates to internally across the organization as well as externally and how the company is perceived by the public.
There are numerous benefits to having a company culture in place, and the more well-defined the culture is, the more benefits the organization will see.
Employees feel valued. One benefit of a strong culture is the increased feeling of value felt by employees, which has a positive impact on the overall organization, too. The more an employee feels valued and appreciated, and the more they feel they have a role to play, the more they are likely to want to stay within the company.
An employee wants to work for a company they can relate to, one which aligns with their beliefs and principles. Employees can grow within this sort of organization and feel that they can be there for the long haul. In turn, this has a positive impact for the company, as they are keeping hold of key talent but also not having to spend time and resources replacing team members on a regular basis.
A key to making employees feel valued within the company is individual and team development. Regular one-on-one meetings with staff, where they can discuss any issues or feedback they have, can be of huge benefit to both staff members and managers. They can bring structure to the working days and weeks and bring a relationship between a leader and their team. As well as individual meetings, managers can develop the team with weekly catch-ups and updates to keep everyone updated and working together across the business. Feedback, regular meetings and catch-ups can all help build a business culture internally.
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Builds a strong brand identity. As well as the obvious branding, logo and marketing, the identity of the brand also relies on the relationship between the employees and the organization. Staff are ambassadors of a brand, and the company culture goes hand in hand with the brand identity of the business.
For example, implementing a company culture and values relates to how the company is perceived by customers and external stakeholders. It can help ensure your brand is consistent; no matter which of your employees are communicating with customers, the tone, language and quality of service should not change. This affects the customer experience and, as a result, the overall company performance.
Training, development and communication all play roles in building the brand identity. Employees need to be given the tools they need to do the job effectively, the values of the business need to be communicated effectively, and coaching and mentoring of teams and individuals can help instill this throughout a company.
Helps with recruitment. If your company has developed a strong brand and this is apparent to external stakeholders, when you do need to recruit for openings, you will have a potential benefit over competitors. Through developing the culture, with training and mentoring of individuals, you make have discovered you have natural leaders in your ranks, and you now need to recruit to fill their old position.
When looking to recruit, potential employees may be attracted to your company because they are aware of the culture you have developed. Regular development meetings and a strong emphasis on mentoring and employee growth will speak to applicants that this is a company they can see a career pathway in.
The business benefits from this, stemming from the culture they have cultivated through team and personal development, as they will have a talent pool to choose from that will be greater than competitors who may not have developed such things.
Ultimately, there are benefits to be gained from the implementation of a culture within the organization, and team development — as well as investing time and resources in individuals — plays a key part. Competitive advantage, stronger company performance and a better experience for customers are just a few examples of how leaders will see positive things come from their investment in the culture of the organization.