Here are some thoughts still common today:
And here are some time tested facts:
- Cultural impact has greater than eight times the influence on company performance variability than a deliberately designed strategy.
- Companies who consistently focused on corporate culture over a period of several decades out performed those who did not, by a factor of six.
- Organisations with a strong corporate culture based on shared values out perform others by a huge margin e.g. their stock price grew twelve times faster and their profit performance was 750% higher.
It is interesting also to note that:
- Our personal values influence every aspect of our lives at home and at work. They influence our moral judgments, our responses to others, and our commitments to goals (personal and company)
- Personal values clarity (regardless of organizational values clarity) makes a significant (positive) impact on behavior at work.
- Both understanding and being comfortable with one's personal values seems to mitigate against the potentially negative consequences of conflicts between personal and organizational values.
Some questions to ask youself about your company:
- How values literate are you and your people; that is do you understand what values really are (and are not) and why and how this matters to your bottom line?
- Does the culture or your organisation increase or reduce the stress of your people?
- Does your company have a defined set of values? Do your people voluntarily choose to act upon them?
- How is your track record in attracting and retaining talent?
Supporting Research Sources Include: Maddi & Kobasa 1984, Kouzes & Pozner 2007, Posner & Schmidt 1984, Henderson & Thompson 2006. Contact us for further reading.