Culture Vs Attitude in the workplace
“For success, attitude is equally as important as ability” Henry F Banks
Culture Vs Attitude in the workplace
So, here’s one of those ‘chicken and egg’ questions….Does the culture in an organisation drive employee attitude or does employee attitude build culture?
Building organisational culture used to be one of those soft, fluffy and intangible elements of a business that was, in the most, considered a nice to have and was very much dependent upon how much time or resources a business had.
With our ageing workforce being succeeded by a younger and more mobile, determined and self-assured workforce, organisational culture is now at the forefront for many businesses – not just the corporates, yet also the vast majority of small-medium businesses.
At one time, building a positive organisational culture consisted of having bowls of fruit lying around the office or installing a ping-pong table in the staff kitchen area or even going as far as employing a lunch time masseuse whose job was to give employees a relaxing 15-minute massage.
Not anymore though – our younger and more liberated workforce need something much more fulfilling and worthy for them to stay with your business.
While there is a lot more to what makes up culture, the basic building blocks of culture typically consist of the following:
- A Vision Statement
- A Mission Statement
- A set of Company Values
And while culture has now moved on from ‘bowls of fruit’ in the office, many businesses still fall short of implementing a tangible and sustainable organisational culture.
Many businesses believe that once the Vision, Mission and Values Statements have been developed and plastered on every wall, corridor and meeting room – their job is done – culture has now been introduced and embedded in the business!
And here lies the reason for the vast majority of businesses who fail to implement the intended culture, despite having spent time and effort on their Vision, Mission and Values Statement.
Vision, Mission and Values Statements are just that – statements – words.
For these statements to be effective, they need to be translated into actions, examples and actual doing.
This is where Attitude and Behaviour come into play.
Attitude involves the mind’s tendency to certain ideas, values, people and systems.
While Behaviour relates to the actual expression of feelings, action or inaction through words and/or through body language.
Definitely, the starting point for building organisational culture is to define the company Vision, Mission and Values.
These are the foundational blocks that define the culture of the business.
However, if a business is to be successful in developing, implementing and sustaining a positive culture, it must bring in the right people to build upon these foundational blocks.
These people must have the right mindset and the right attitude.
Remember, mindset helps to determine attitude which drives actions.
Having the ‘wrong’ people in the business will lead to either nothing happening to grow and support the culture and worse still, sabotaging your efforts.
Yes, start with a motivating and inspiring Vision, Mission and set of Values – BUT then bring in the right attitude (people) and start building the culture.
Contact us today on 02 9634 5912 if you’d like us to help you with any of your recruitment requirements.
