Described as a set of values, beliefs, norms, attitudes, and practices that characterize how an organization functions, organizational culture reflects a company's identity and influences how employees behave, make decisions, and relate to one another and to customers.
According to Carla Martins's, vice president of SERAC, As a corporate solutions hub and a benchmark in the accounting, legal, educational, and technology fields, organizational culture is a key point in company growth and needs to be implemented strategically. “At SERAC itself, working with organizational culture was an essential tool for our growth, as it enabled us to form a team. Before, we were just a company that did good work, but afterwards we formed a team that began to fight for the same dreams and embrace the same values,” she recounts.
According to the executive, it was the construction of a strong organizational culture that allowed SERAC to face major challenges, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Culture beats strategy on the most challenging days, because if there is a major problem and everyone is engaged, that problem will be faced more easily. During the pandemic, we managed to continue serving masterfully even remotely,” exemplifies Carla.
The vice president of SERAC emphasizes that a strong organizational culture tends to unite company members around common objectives, while a weak culture can lead to disunity and a lack of direction. “Culture is everything the employee does while the owner is not around. It can be focused on the customer and well-being, but it can also allow for gossip and a lack of quality in work, which is why it is crucial for business owners to be attentive in building an organizational culture that makes sense,” she explains.
Check out four steps to implement a strong culture in the company, according to Carla Martins:
1) Define the desired culture and work on its modeling – For this, it is worthwhile to seek references from companies in your sector or even from other sectors and list which values should be part of it. “Often, adaptations will be necessary and an assessment of whether the sector and the customers align with what is being modeled. Do you want a company like Apple, but your furniture is antiquated? Do you want something more formal, but your sector is super disruptive? It will be necessary to seek a balance,” advises Carla.
2) Train the people – Leaders and trusted individuals need to be trained constantly to embody the company's culture, because once they are trained, they will pass the culture on to their subordinates. “And if the team is small, the business owner themselves can be the master leader and needs to position themselves as a mirror. For example, if there is a culture of optimism in the company, they need to show themselves as optimistic. If they are having a not-so-good day, it's better to stay away from people than to reflect emotions contrary to those they wish to convey to the team,” suggests the executive.
3) Communicate and embody culture all the time – According to the vice president of SERAC, all elements of the company's communication can help disseminate culture, from the computer screensaver to the brand branding. “Even WhatsApp groups can share the company's values and encourage tasks that help promote culture,” states Carla Martins.
4) Evaluate and re-evaluate – The executive explains that it is necessary to periodically evaluate whether the conveyed values align with what is desired in the company's culture. “For this, it is important to have tools in the feedback processes, always considering that a culture takes at least a few years to be implemented,” says Carla. She emphasizes that when a company has a strong culture, it helps to attract like-minded people and repel those who do not fit, which helps in facing daily challenges and stimulates growth.
