The Anatomy of Company Culture and Finding What Works for You
Did you know that a toxic business culture is 10.4x more powerful than compensation in predicting a company's attrition rate compared with its industry? Work culture is a phrase you’ve likely heard tossed around a lot, but what does it actually mean? Company culture is the values and beliefs of a company and how those values and beliefs are expressed. Its anatomy includes the environment and people who shape it, language, artifacts, rituals, and routines. A company’s culture sets the foundational tone, and establishes a persona that attracts or repels job-seekers and employees, becoming a determining factor in the company’s overall sustainability and success.
In the age of the great resignation, company culture matters more than ever. It’s important for both companies to define their culture and for employees to be aware of the type of culture they desire to work in. Each company will have a culture that reflects its uniqueness and may incorporate a mixture of different company culture archetypes.
Before we dive into these archetypes, keep in mind that due to the global pandemic, we are experiencing a collective shift toward human-centered cultures. Human-centered is a fancy way of saying that people want to be valued not just as employees but as human beings. People are now more than willing to walk away from jobs that lack care, compassion, and empathy.
With this in mind, here’s a quick primer on common work culture archetypes.
Common Work Culture Archetypes
Hierarchal Culture
Graphic by AlleyWatch
A hierarchical workplace culture is a classic pyramid, top-down setup with clearly defined roles, rules, and regulations to maintain a particular structure. These cultures are common in governmental jobs, the medical field, and positions in law & order to separate leaders, ranks, and management tiers. The rigidness one may find in these spaces affirms very particular expertise and credentials, and adheres to safety measurements within the industry. Hierarchal cultures probably don't have much wiggle room to draw outside the lines, depending on the title you hold. Though, this can be pretty ideal for those who like practicality, reliability, and structure.
Competitive Culture
A company with a competitive culture mimics aspects of a company with a hierarchal culture where both celebrate and encourage scaling the ladder. They appear in the marketing and sales fields, which are result-driven. Leaders should be communicating clear and effective ways for individuals and groups to achieve goals. In competitive cultures, investing in quality onboarding experiences uniquely tailored to new hires is beyond beneficial. One can specifically be prone to stress in these environments, which can be combated by encouraging ways to extend compassion and implement tools that promote wellness. As more millennials and Generation Z's enter the workforce we should mention 66% of Gen Z's say that they desire a culture built on mental health and wellness. An employer may want to think about this when rewarding people for hitting goals and offering incentives that get in touch with their employees' real needs.
Creative Culture
Graphic by LinkedIn Global Talent Trends 2022
Creative company cultures can be ideal for innovative and expressive thinkers. These environments are great for those that crave flexibility, which is a recurring characteristic of human-centered company cultures. When employees are happy with their company’s flexibility around time and location they report to be 2.6x happier and 2.1x more likely to recommend working for the company. The pandemic also contributed to these shifts, forcing people to work from home (WFH) and balance between in-person or hybrid options. These spaces can be inspiring and collaborative, and will best be nurtured by creating an environment of trust and safety. Flexibility also extends to communication, where freedom of thought is valued, and curiosity and autonomy go far.
Community Culture
In community cultures, one may be in a job that works towards an overarching goal beyond the organization itself, such as reducing homelessness or advocating for LGBTQ rights. Unlike a hierarchal culture, community culture works horizontally- Think, one for all and all for one. There tends to be a deep sense of inclusion and social connection, as folks may find themselves contributing to various parts of an organization. Tasks that require creative thinking are best performed at home, and those needing collaboration or connection are easier and more productive in person.
Overall, people desire to be in spaces where their existence is affirmed, and they feel safe, respected, and fairly compensated. Team engagement activities are particularly useful in supporting this! Regardless of the company culture you identify with, toxic culture characteristics (characteristics that fail to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, employees feel disrespected, and unethical behavior exists) should be non-negotiables anywhere. Times have changed, and the workforce is not the same as three years ago. Work/life balance is crucial for creating a healthy and prosperous company culture. Plus, like it or not, it is the direction we're heading in!
