Organizational culture

Overview

Organizational culture is a mix of norms, values, beliefs, meanings and expectations that group members hold in common and use as behavioural and problem-solving cues. Organizational culture could enhance the psychological safety and health of the workplace and workforce when characterized by trust, honesty, respect, civility and fairness, or when it values, for example, psychological and social support, recognition and reward.

An organization with good organizational culture can state:

  • All people in the workplace are held accountable for their actions.
  • People at work show sincere respect for others’ ideas, values and beliefs.
  • Difficult situations are addressed effectively.
  • Workers feel that they are part of a community at work.
  • Workers and management trust one another.

Why is organizational culture important?

A trusting organizational culture is critical to creating positive and effective work relationships. When trust exists, it fosters co-operation, enhanced loyalty and helps to retain and attract talent. An organization with a health-focused, positive, supportive and nurturing organizational culture, shows increased job satisfaction and commitment. For those experiencing emotional stress, including anxiety or depression, this helps reduce the likelihood of symptoms.

Culture sets an organization’s tone. A negative culture reduces the success of the programs, policies and services created to support workers. An unhealthy culture creates more stress in the workplace, negatively affecting well-being. An organization with a culture of “profit at all costs” and constant chaos will see increased burnout.

FAQs

  • Create a respectful work environment where values of honesty, tolerance and fairness are modelled, encouraged and reinforced.
  • Promote an open environment for positive communication that helps create a culture of connection and cohesion.
  • Involve staff in the development of workplace mission statements, values and codes of ethics.

  • Provide opportunities for teams to learn and develop together to strengthen relationships (team-building exercises).
  • Identify role models for mentorship and support programs. This will help new or developing team members recognize and strengthen the organizational culture.
  • Commit to providing reasonable time and budget to train workers and leaders on topics such as effective communication and conflict management.
  • Communicate with staff about management decisions and ask for their input, whenever possible.

  • Train all staff in effective communication.
  • Encourage social opportunities for all staff to gather and interact (staff lunches, etc.). This can be done virtually, when necessary.
  • Emphasize the importance of face-to-face interaction when facing a difficult conversation.
  • Provide clear reasons for decisions in a respectful, timely and considerate manner.

  • Ensure timely and effective responses when conflict arises.
  • Include values of trust, honesty and fairness in your mission statement, and share it widely with staff and customers/clients.
  • Create values-based policies and procedures that guide your organization’s decision-making.
  • Hold all members of the organization accountable for their actions and ensure that leaders are held accountable to the same or higher standard.

  • Gather input from staff on their perceptions of the organizational culture. This will help you uncover any concerns. Create an action plan to resolve any issues.
  • Ensure all employees are equally held accountable for their actions.
  • Foster an environment where employees show respect for others’ ideas, values and beliefs.
  • Continually work on team-building so people feel they are part of a community at work.
  • Encourage leaders to gain worker trust through honesty, respect and open communication at all levels.

Action

Next steps: Committing to a positive organizational culture

Objective

A work environment characterized by trust, honesty and fairness.

Benefits

  • Higher job satisfaction and morale
  • Improved teamwork and productivity
  • Enhanced retention and recruitment
  • Positive public/community image

Reflection Questions

  • Do issues related to organizational culture present a greater risk to particular groups of workers (e.g. new workers, certain jobs, shift workers, etc.)?
  • What are the strengths in your workplace in terms of organizational culture (e.g. what do you do well and what should you continue doing)?
  • What could your workplace do to improve in this area (e.g. what could you do more of and what could you do less of)?