
How would you define company culture?
I see culture as the living expression of shared convictions. It manifests the company’s stated values, mission, and vision through choices in language, decision-making, and operational procedures. Culture is a reciprocal system that both drives behaviour and is shaped by behaviour.Why is getting culture right important for businesses, particularly SMEs?
How can SMEs avoid box-ticking?
Let your values do the culture-building work for you. Keep tabs on your value statement, and update it, if necessary. Make sure you articulate those values in a way that people can understand and keep them front and centre. Mention them at every meeting. Include them in every written exchange. Let your staff know that you expect them to be able to repeat those values and use them to guide their choices at work. This keeps culture alive—not just a series of boxes to ticked.What is your experience around culture? What makes you a voice of authority in this space?
How can micro businesses (employing less than 10 people) set the right tone for company culture from the start?
The good news is, the smallest companies have the shortest line between two points: the owner/CEO, and the rest of the staff. Culture flows from the values demonstrated by the business leader. Once these are spelled out, the person at the top should request and receive buy-in from all employees, so that everyone is on board and moving in the same direction.What would make a strong entry for next year’s entrants? What would impress you?
Indicating how culture ties in with achievement is crucial. I’d like to see a clear expression of company values and real examples of viable outcomes they hope to achieve through that framework. Above and beyond that, those who make this effort a vehicle to try new initiatives and work toward innovation would display a solid grasp of cultural power. In association with Breathe, Real Business is running the SME Culture Leaders List 2019, the only league table of its kind catering to the UK’s thriving small and medium businesses that put company culture first.Share this story