Bogged down with resistance to change? Having a hard time promoting your business as a promising place to work (aka hiring challenges)? Moving your business to the next level starts with a positive work culture. You can give your employees a voice and make noticeable improvements in your company’s culture (and bottom line!) by focusing on four objectives and the concept of “Culture Teams.”
What you need to start a Culture Team:
- 10-15% of your employees (a mixture of employees from all departments and levels)
- 15 minutes each week (same time and day each week)
- One leader per Culture Team (an employee who supports a positive atmosphere and can run a meeting efficiently)
- Zero dollars
When the culture team meets, the goal will be to focus on 4 objectives and 4 objectives only: communication, engagement, teaching, and playing to win. If any topics are brought up that do not focus on these objectives, table them and discuss offline. You have 15 minutes, so efficiency and effectiveness are key!
If you have multiple stores or departments, consider setting up a culture team at each location. Companies with multiple culture teams should have the culture team leaders meet once per month.
The value of a culture team will not go unnoticed. Celebrate the successes and the ideas that are generated from the team. Share before and after pictures and recognize the company’s openness to make changes based on employees’ suggestions. Being a member of the Culture Team is a way to recruit and retain employees who want to make a difference (hint, hint… Millennials).
The Culture Team can also be your company sounding board. If there is an issue going on in the company, reach out to the culture team(s) for feedback. Something as big as reacting to a sales deficit or as small as needing an extra water cooler in a lunch room can be run through the culture teams.
Tip: The Culture Team Leader should be prepared to take certain ideas back to a designated manager who can help the culture team leader “explain the why” to the team if the idea cannot be implemented.
“Culture eats strategy for lunch.” – Peter Drucker
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