Company Cultural Goals Examples of Positive Company Cultures

Examples of company cultural goals examples are easy to find in today’s professional environment. But despite many organizations claiming to have a culture that can be described as engaging, fun, transparent, or innovative, it is difficult to define company culture.

Merriam-Webster defines culture in a few ways, with one definition being “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.” It is this definition that refers to the corporate or company culture as we know it. But even with this explanation, explaining our own company culture is challenging.

This article will explain more about what company culture is, why it’s vital for the long-term success of an organization, and list examples of what your company’s cultural goals should be.

Company Culture Defined

As stated above, culture refers to the behaviors and procedures that are practiced within a company. This includes clearly defined contributions, such as policies and procedures. But it also includes those things which are often hard to pinpoint, like ethics and values, the goals of an organization, and the behavior of employees and leadership personnel.

It’s not uncommon for new employees to undergo an onboarding process that might include the issuance of written material seeking to explain a company’s culture. It probably includes a “mission statement” and information related to certain policies regarding discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, and the ever-present open-door policy.

The goal of providing new employees with these guidelines and explanations is to ensure that they understand the company culture and underline the expectation that they will match the precedent set from the start.

While this is all well and good as it relates to the very important issues of transparency and fair practices, these handbooks often fail to prepare employees for the real working environment.

According to a survey from Indeed, 72% of job seekers say that access to details about a company’s culture in job descriptions is extremely or very important. This shows that employees value the culture and environment of their workplace, often above compensation, and will seek employment elsewhere if given the impression that they may not align with a company’s values.

Good Culture Versus Bad Culture

The terms used to describe a negative company culture are well known, perhaps because many organizations fail to recognize the importance of culture. The words toxic and hostile are frequently heard from friends and family who decided to leave a position with a company in response to a negative working environment.

When a company fails to foster qualities that build a positive culture, they create a situation that often snowballs. One unhappy, disengaged employee turns into two, then three, and then an entire department. Suddenly you have a workforce that whispers about unfair practices, overbearing managers, and unrealistic expectations. Soon enough, you may have a mutiny on your hands or, at the very least, wind up with an unexpectedly high number of open positions.

When employees are happy to come to work, engaged with their jobs, and can build meaningful relationships with coworkers, they reward their employers in several ways. And let’s not forget that all these benefits can lead to greater long-term success, growth, and an increase in ROI.

Benefits of a Positive Company Culture:

• Reduced turnover
• Increased retention rates
• Easier recruitment
• Improved health and well-being of employees
• Improved productivity and performance
• Increased creativity and innovation
• Higher number of employee referrals
• Improved communication
• Cohesive team vision
• Diversification
• Boosted public image and press
• Improved reputation

Creating Cultural Goals from the Top

So, how does a company begin to create a positive culture or repair one that is headed in the wrong direction? The answer lies in the motivations and goals of the company’s founders and leaders. When the company culture is well-defined and carefully crafted from the top, attitudes inevitably trickle down to every level of the organization.

Top leadership within a company must sit down and hash out the characteristics and values they wish to champion within their organization. And those top executives need guidance and inspiration from the founders, CEOs, and company heads themselves. Start a 30-day free trial of eLeaP to learn how to develop and align your organization’s culture and goals effectively.

Identifying core company values is vital to fostering an environment that supports implementing and adhering to those values. Here are some steps to help organizations develop a clearly defined vision and set the groundwork for a thriving, supportive company culture:

1. Develop a clear vision of why a company exists and what it plans to contribute to customers, employees, and society.
2. Outline where the organization plans to go in the future and how it will get there.
3. Discuss how both the organization and its employees benefit along the way.
4. Include core tenets and beliefs based on communal values.
5. Brainstorm ideas about how the organization creates a culture that exemplifies these values.
6. Live and perform as examples of the company culture.

Cultural Goals Examples to Strive For

While defining what company culture is can result in a vague and varying response, the fact remains that companies that develop cultures considered to be positive share some common qualities. Using these cultural goals and examples of what to strive for helps companies understand what to consider when evaluating their own culture. We have outlined and defined a few of the main ones below.

Autonomy

Autonomy within an organization means that employees are empowered and educated to perform their job duties without too much micromanagement. Autonomy provides team members with confidence and a greater sense of pride and accomplishment.

Passion

Passion within a company culture means many things:

• Passion for service to the community
• Passion for success
• Passion for achievement and excellence

Performance

A culture that values performance takes recognizable steps toward rewarding and incentivizing employees’ successes. This includes:

• One-on-one conversations with executives
• Recognition in front of coworkers
• Individual rewards

Empathy

Empathy is often described as having compassion for another person’s situation and experiences. Within a company culture, empathy leads to a better understanding of the struggles employees face at work and in their personal lives. Companies that strive for empathy take steps to aid employees, such as providing financial assistance programs.

Connection

A culture that values connection looks for ways for employees to share ideas, communicate issues, and provide guidance for each other. The benefits are immeasurable when employees feel like they can speak openly and honestly with coworkers.

Supportive

Supportive company culture means providing employees with everything they need to succeed and thrive within an organization. Supportive measures are things such as:

• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Physical and mental health initiatives
• Daycare assistance
• Travel vouchers

Supportive initiatives should vary by the needs of each organization.

Transparency

One of the most valued qualities within companies—as far as employees are concerned—is transparency. Companies that are open, honest, and communicative about goals, performance, initiatives, and even challenges, gain more support and understanding from employees by providing them with information without being asked to do so.

Trustworthy

Trustworthy company culture is exemplified by management and leadership that follows through on its promises. When expectations are set and not upheld by those in leadership positions, it sets a bad example. Furthermore, saying one thing but doing another without proper explanation is a critical error.

Flexible

In today’s working environment, employees are looking for a company that supports a flexible schedule. This might mean letting employees set their schedules or allowing for a hybrid approach that includes opportunities for remote work.

Innovative

Companies known for being innovative are those that drive progress for the benefit of all. They look for ways to improve relationships within their teams, take advantage of tools that benefit workers and aren’t afraid to take risks and try something new. These companies find creative, out-of-the-box strategies to improve employee satisfaction and well-being.

Engagement

Engagement means several things. Employees need to feel engaged with their work and offered opportunities to increase their knowledge and develop their skills. They also need encouragement to engage with coworkers and management, which helps:

• Build a stronger team network
• Improve communication
• Foster better relationships

Diversity

Including individuals from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and belief systems create a wider opportunity for creative thinking and ideas. And having a diverse workforce lets employees know that your organization values fairness, equality, and diversity in all avenues.

Fun

Look for ways to create opportunities for fun, such as company outings, picnics, charity events, or perhaps a company field day competition with a tug-of-war competition. Even small activities scattered around typical workdays can create an environment where employees can relax, laugh, and enjoy themselves.

Conclusion

The cultural goals listed here do not represent the entire scope of qualities that help to create a positive work culture. However, they exhibit many characteristics that employees value and search for within a potential employer.

Each organization and company has unique core values and principles that drive its actions. Every action, structure, policy, manager, employee, and activity contributes to the overall culture within a company.

A positive work culture means the difference between success and failure for a company. That’s why it’s vital to outline the important features of your company culture from the start and then find accessible and creative ways to execute them. Failing to do so has disastrous consequences on a company’s reputation and overall success. Let eLeaP help you develop the kind of work culture that your team would be proud of.