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Culture: Three Business Pillars for Success

By Alma Rosa García Puig - Great Place to Work Mexico
CEO

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By Alma Rosa García Puig | CEO - Thu, 03/03/2022 - 09:00

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Business culture and human development are the backbone of any organization. Regardless of the sector or the company’s size, it is essential to understand people to conduct the business well.

These two factors are fundamental axes that drive the economic development of Mexico and the world. Both represent a strategic role for the future in the face of the reality that we all face as companies and as a society.

Forty years ago, Great Place to Work® was born with a very clear purpose: to make company cultures trustworthy and to put workers at the center. This purpose is fulfilled when the following conditions occur:  

  • If leaders are 50 percent responsible for building a great workplace, making their work teams perceive them as credible, respectful and impartial.
  • If 30 percent of the organization's practices correspond to its values and care for people, and
  • If the remaining 20 percent is the co-responsibility of each worker. Namely, in their relationships of fellowship and commitment to their duties.

We continue to fulfill this purpose by focusing on helping organizations transform their culture, to create better workplaces for everyone, leading to a better country and a better world.

The corporate culture, the way in which work is experienced on a daily basis, must be the core of any organization. And in times like the present, it is necessary to strengthen that culture so that employees are more successful in the present and the future.

I propose to promote three pillars so that, by renewing and evolving their culture, companies are successful.

Leadership

In recent years, the meaning of leadership as it relates to work teams has taken on great importance for company managers. They already invest heavily in understanding new ways of leading and how to adapt them to their company’s culture.

The new changes in the forms of work have meant that people increasingly need to feel valued and recognized in their employment. This requires the company culture to understand the new behaviors that a leader must demonstrate.

Empathetic and friendlier managers are required. These are managers who promote innovation within their companies, and are resilient and flexible in the face of change.

Leadership has to transform, it has to be more human, empathetic and friendly, but with enough strength to meet objectives. This is not an easy task.

Compromise

The corporate culture and leaders must generate work teams that are committed to the purpose, objectives and results that correspond to them.

A lack of commitment among workers generates a series of problems for organizations: high voluntary turnover, low productivity, lack of interest in innovation and even brand detractors.

When an employee is not happy with his job, he must look for new options. However, it is not always easy: the lack of employment, debts, family care and other responsibilities force some people to remain in their jobs for years but with minimal commitment.

The role of business culture and human development, then, becomes relevant. Workers must be motivated to find meaning in their tasks and feel committed to the organization. This will undoubtedly translate into good results.

In a great place to work, this translates to up to 50 percent less voluntary turnover, a 3 percent higher chance of people giving their best, and up to a 91 percent feeling of pride in the brand they represent.

Managers have a responsibility to see their employees, identify how they feel and what they need. This includes giving them what they need to be well both inside and outside their workplace. Companies have to be aware of what is happening and break with the old paradigms of the transactional relationship.

Strategic Alignment

Managers require professional consultative support to help them understand the strategy of their company, communicate it and make it live within all the people in the organization.

Achieving an understanding of the business model, the strategic objectives, the vision, the challenges, as well as the culture that is required to achieve it is a fundamental part of the transformation to a great workplace.

Many times the expectations of the directors are far from the reality of the company. This causes them to trace a route toward an uncertain course where the results will probably not be achieved, since the business culture is not prepared for it.

Knowing the business from the perspective of the CEO, aligning his expectations and clarifying the moment of the business is key to undertaking this cultural transformation. It is a transformation that leads to the achievement of results with the commitment of all employees.

It is not about entering a company and reading the mission and vision statements: in reality, most people do not even understand them. That has to be lived from within; the culture must be the backbone that sustains the business.

For all of the above, companies seek the support of experts who accompany them in consultative processes to strategically execute changes in culture, in the work of their leaders, the behaviors expected of their employees and, at the same time, ensure that their company is a great place to work.

What companies really do is offer a contribution to the country, society and people. When running a company, the commitment is to inject passion for what is done and thereby make it better for everyone, contributing their part to the development of Mexico.

The DNA of Great Place to Work® is to help organizations increase their productivity by creating great work environments.

Photo by:   Alma Rosa García Puig

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