What is Your Organizational Culture?

What is Your Organizational Culture?

These days everyone is talking about Organizational Culture. It is listed in articles on how to attract and retain employees and even on how to attract customers to your products and services. Every business has a perceived culture, whether you have actually defined it or not. “A company’s culture is your identity. It is how the company views itself and how the company wishes to be viewed by the outside world,” said David Smith, Chief Marketing Officer for SalesScreen.

Your brand should reflect your culture and your culture should be embedded in your brand. Since people are usually the most important asset your company has, you should build a culture at your organization that will attract the employees you need.

‘An organization’s culture is represented by the values which it truly lives by, not just words that is chooses to showcase on a wall somewhere’

Here at the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce we are in the process of defining our own Organizational Culture as we start the process of developing our new Strategic Plan. We have always had a mission, vision and value statements but defining our Culture is new for us. We would love to hear from you, our members on what you feel our culture is here at the Quinte West Chamber. Please send me an email (manager@quintewestchamber.ca) with some words and thoughts on what you perceive as our Organizational Culture, I can’t wait to read them.

If you would like to define the Culture of your own Organization here are some pointers to help you get started.

Your Culture Should be:
1. Bold & Inspirational
2. Meaningful & Deeply Held
3. Lived & Activated

Where to Start the Process of Defining Your Culture:
1. Determine Desired Culture
2. Assess Existing Culture
3. Establish Plan to Adjust Culture

Suzanne Andrews, General Manager
Quinte West Chamber of Commerce