Yes, every stakeholders’ role is critical in crafting your company’s workplace experience

A company’s culture trains its members, systems, and the working environment. A company’s culture affects its stakeholders, customers, and the perception the general populace has about them. Your culture determines your company’s identity. In most cases, the right culture reflects the core values of the company.

The Right culture helps you attract and keep the A-talents and assist with their proper onboarding. To transform your company into a team and keep them aligned, you need the right organizational culture.  It is very important to measure if your company’s culture is aligned or not. Appropriate strategies should also be put in place to correct them if need be.

Who are those that are saddled with this great responsibility of creating the right culture? They are the major stakeholders – The Founders/CEO, Line managers, and HR. Their roles cannot be brushed aside in any company.

Let’s take a deeper look at the various roles these stakeholders play in creating the right culture in any organization. 

Founder/CEO – The Setters

Most people picture the CEO sitting at the corner on the topmost floor enjoying the sight of the city. People imagine the CEO calling the shots while everyone else must obey. However, culture starts at the top, so the CEO is saddled with the responsibility of creating the same.

Actually, the Founder/CEO sets the agenda for the organizational culture and galvanizes the entire team to keep them focused on this agenda. The role is critical as this is where organizational importance and priority get set for culture.

Without the right leader to direct the team, the probability is low that the company would achieve its vision and goals. The CEO makes sure the right people are in the right places and he invests a great time in team building. In addition, the CEO should personally be involved in activities involving culture change and he/she must devote quality time to the organization’s culture management. It is very likely that organizational focus may shift away from culture, but CEO must keep bringing it back.

The CEO makes sure the teams are performing at their possible best to attain the set milestones. Therefore, the founder is also saddled with the responsibility of establishing the company strategy that secures the essential resources, sets the organizational culture, and maintains team spirit.

In essence, this is where the cultural agenda gets set and followed. Some may say that CEO is also the Chief Culture Officer.

Line Managers – The Doers

A well-structured plan is needed to embed culture in any organization. The role of line managers cannot be overlooked in any organization. Line managers, most times might not be appreciated but the gap is always clear anytime they stop performing their duties.

Line managers must come up with the best practices to implant the right culture, the planning and evaluation of the process should be well delivered. They are the actual torchbearers that take the agenda set at the top and propagate the same downward. They are the crucial link, which if broken, the entire Workplace Experience goes for a toss.

Let’s have a quick look at some of their roles in any organization1;

  • Mentoring staff and overseeing the daily activities of the employees
  • Managing organizational change
  • Assigning workloads and directing work rosters
  • Measuring the impact on Quality of Life.

We can go on and on to state their roles but let’s continue. Remember that great strategic leadership skills are needed to ensure the consistency of any organizational structure.

According to a study carried out by Hogan Assessments, 75% of employees consider their manager to be the worst part of their job2. Similarly, in another research carried out by Michelle McQuaid, 65% of the respondents would choose a new manager over a pay raise3.

A line Manager should build a better working relationship with the employees and at the same time supervising their performance. Managers should build the right working culture and environment for the employees.

They must set the right examples and keep their teams on top. A line manager should be able to identify toxic cultures and eliminate them immediately.

HR – The Facilitators

The Human Resources departments are key players in laying the foundation and building the right Workplace Experience. HR is the link that connects all the employees across various departments and units in the company. HR is the one that codifies the right behavior that aligns with the intended Workplace Experience.

The HR department is placed with a key role in developing the employee experience aka the Workplace Experience. HR must measure and evaluate the existing organization’s Workplace Experience and develop a plan to adjust it with the company’s goals and strategy. The department is to serve as the organizational culture consultant to encourage other executive leaders to implement the culture plan.

To create the right Workplace Experience, HR should place themselves as strategic planners. HR should contribute to the development and the accomplishment of the plans and objectives set by the CEO or Manager. The company strategy should also be followed by HR; it should not just be enforced alone.

Moreover, HR should build a consultative approach with the other stakeholders. They are needed to facilitate and support the organization to deliver the agenda. The HR should constantly measure the company’s progress on the Workplace Experience alignment, give updates, and follow up on them.

The department is charged with managing the company’s greatest resource – its employees. New employees enter the workforce through HR. HR should communicate the company’s culture, vision, and mission to new employees during the interview and onboarding process.

Employees are those that will make the culture a reality. Hence, HR should make it their priority to find and hire top talents that would help build the right company culture.

CONCLUSION

The company culture is a summary of what the organization represents. It helps to increase productivity which is vital to the company’s success. After reading this article, we hope you now have more insights into the roles of the various stakeholders in building the right culture.

However, the duty should not be left to a single stakeholder. Creating the right culture should be a collective effort. It is the duty of all the stakeholders in the organization. Everyone should understand and identify with the roles they must play in ensuring the right culture is built and maintained in the organization.

It is also advisable to work together with your employees in the culture-building process. You can solicit culture-building ideas from them during meetings. This will make them feel recognized and considered in the company’s decision-making.

What do you think?

REFERENCES

  1. Https://www.insightsforprofessionals.com/blog/functions-of-a-line-manager
  2. Https://getlighthouse.com/blog/why-employees-leave-managers-not-companies/
  3. Https://getlighthouse.com/blog/why-employees-leave-managers-not-companies/
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