7 Practical Steps to Build a Resilient Organisational Culture in 2024

The 2020s will go down in history as being a decade of dramatic change, especially in the workplace. For managers, cultivating a strong organisational culture is not just a lofty dream—it's a necessity. As we navigate complex projects, tight budgets and deadlines, and a diverse workforce, a well-constructed culture can be the bedrock of success, driving productivity, innovation and employee satisfaction. 

How do we build and sustain a positive workplace culture?

The following practical steps can be implemented inexpensively and from today.

1. Defining and Communicating Core Values:

Start by clearly articulating your organisation's core values. These should reflect not just what you do, but how and why you do it. 

Practical Steps:

• Conduct a values workshop with your teams to identify 3-5 core values that everyone understands and can buy into.

• Create visual and digital representations of these values and display them prominently in offices and work sites. 

• Walk the talk: integrate values into daily toolbox talks or check-ins and hold people accountable for their behaviour. Don’t tell me that you respect me – show me! 

• Talk the walk: Lead by your own behaviour and communication style. Include a "Value of the Month" in team communications. 

• Ensure that new hires are technically competent and align with your organisational values. 

1. Fostering Cross-Departmental Collaboration:

Break down silos between departments to enhance project outcomes and innovation. We have so many communication channels and yet we seem to have lost the art of actual communication. In my early days as an HR officer, I got into the habit of hand-delivering memos or notes. While this may have been time-consuming, it allowed me to connect with people and take a temperature check on morale and brewing problems. The steps below can be applied in physical and hybrid teams.

Practical Steps:

• Implement a "Project Buddy System" where team members from different departments are paired to share knowledge.

• Create cross-functional project teams for major initiatives.

• Organise monthly "Innovation Jams" where employees from various departments brainstorm solutions to current challenges.

• Reframe labels: instead of those “… procurement guys”, refer to other departments as we would customers, “the procurement team are asking for our help in…”

• Ask other departments how we can make their lives easier and vice versa.

1. Strategic and Meaningful Communication:

Improve the meaningfulness and flow of information across all levels of the organisation. Many large companies are buried in the sheer volume of messages and emails. As managers, you must be able to sift through and highlight what is important for your team to know so they can achieve success.

Practical Steps:

• Implement a user-friendly internal communication platform (e.g., Microsoft Teams or Slack).

• Clearly tag and prioritise information so that people know what to do with it. 

• Use team check-ins to draw attention to significant or helpful information.

• Create a "virtual suggestion box" where employees can anonymously submit ideas for improvement.

• Establish regular "Town Hall" meetings where the management team shares important company updates and employees can ask questions directly. 

• As a leader, ask “What do you need to achieve your success?” This reinforces the “walk the talk” approach.

• Persevere! If the culture has been traditionally hierarchical and distrustful, employees will not open up immediately. However, the more you do it and the more they see that you take people seriously, the more it will become a new normal.

1. Recognition and Reward Aligned with Values:

Reward the right behaviour, don’t reward the wrong behaviour. Research shows that employee rewards and recognition have a significant and positive effect on employee performance whereas job stress has a significant and negative effect on employee performance.

Practical Steps:

• Implement a peer-to-peer recognition programme where employees can nominate colleagues who demonstrate core values.

• Include a values-based component in performance reviews and bonus structures.

• Consistently ask how the team is doing in terms of values… what did we get right this week, where did we slip up?

• Implement a "Failure Friday" where teams can share lessons learned from mistakes without fear of repercussion. (This does not mean that poor quality is acceptable, it means that we understand that mistakes are a learning opportunity.)

1. Continuous Learning and Development:

Foster a culture of growth and adaptability through ongoing learning opportunities. Learning happens in many ways, not just on training programmes. According to Deloitte, continuous learning firms are 46% more likely to be first to market, they experience 37% higher productivity and they are 92% more likely to innovate.

Practical Steps:

• Establish a mentorship programme pairing junior staff with experienced professionals.

• Create a "Lunch and Learn" series where employees can share expertise on various topics.

• Partner with institutions to offer relevant courses or certifications to employees.

• Every new project and every failure is a teachable moment. How do we do it better next time?

1. Promoting Work-Life Balance:

Acknowledge the demanding nature of the industry/the economy/the job while supporting employee well-being.

Practical Steps:

• Implement flexible working hours where possible, especially for office-based staff.

• Introduce a "No Meeting Wednesday" policy to allow for focused work time.

• Provide on-site wellness services at larger project sites (e.g., physiotherapy, stress management workshops). Look for regional or online alternatives for hybrid teams.

• Lead from the front. If you as the manager typically work long hours and don’t prioritise your health or your family, that becomes the norm for your team. 

1. Enhancing Safety Culture:

Reinforce that safety is a core value, not just a legal or compliance issue. Safety is not just about preventing or minimising the risk of physical harm, it also covers emotional and psychological well-being.

Practical Steps:

• Implement a "Safety Moment" at the start of every meeting, where an employee shares a brief safety tip.

• Create a safety recognition programme that rewards proactive safety behaviors, not just the absence of incidents.

• Use values as the basis for addressing micro-aggressions and monitor signs of employee stress such as frequent absenteeism or unusual behaviour.

1. Measuring and Evolving Culture:

Regularly assess the effectiveness of positive cultural initiatives and adapt as necessary.

Practical Steps:

• Conduct quarterly pulse surveys to gauge employee sentiment and cultural alignment.

• Create and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for cultural initiatives, such as employee engagement scores or collaboration metrics.

• Embrace diversity in all forms (race, gender, age, background, etc.). Research shows that teams with high diversity are more innovative and resilient.

• If you notice that none of your strategies seem to be working, solicit employee feedback on your efforts to build a positive culture. By actively seeking input from employees, managers can identify potential roadblocks or areas of improvement that may be hindering trust and collaboration efforts. You can use this feedback to develop more effective strategies tailored to the organisation’s unique needs.

Conclusion:

Building and sustaining a robust and constructive organisational culture requires consistent effort and a commitment to small, meaningful actions. By focusing on practical steps that align with core values and foster collaboration, management teams and HR professionals can create a workplace where employees feel valued and motivated to contribute their best.

Author: Janet Askew ([email protected])

Please be aware that this article is intended for informational purposes only and such does not constitute legal advice. If you require specific legal guidance or further information, we encourage you to reach out to us for expert assistance. We can be contacted at Allardyce & Partners 011-234 2125 or [email protected] and [email protected].