Is Your Team Culture-Aligned?
Hello,
Welcome to another edition of letters from Your Workplace Culture Guide.
This month, we are telling a story that’ll pique your curiosity on culture alignment, so grab a cup of juice or tea while reading.
TTA Inc. is a company that makes furniture for clients ranging from schools, companies, hotels etc. At the beginning of the company, Chris, the founder, and his leadership team focused only on the company's daily needs and making as much revenue and sales as possible. Hence, there was no shared vision within the company; they hired people solely based on the technical skills needed for the company's activities. The company wasn’t performing poorly; however, it was not getting its desired results. He shared his concerns with a friend who observed that there were behavioural gaps and misalignment among the team. The friend suggested that he should meet with Imisi, a People and Culture Leader in a Culture Transformation company.
Following their discovery call, Chris and his leadership team agreed to have a culture session. The session focused on creating the company’s mission, purpose and values, which will influence individual and collective behaviours, forming the company's culture. Through exercises and facilitated workshops, the team designed the culture they wanted for their company.
The outcome flows through all parts of the employee experience. Now, employees are hired not only based on their technical skills but also on their alignment with the company’s culture (purpose, mission, values and behaviours). TTA Inc. conducts safe sessions where teams are trained to be free of harassment (sexual and non-sexual). Behaviours that reinforce TTA Inc’s values are also recognised and have been incorporated into TTA Inc’s performance appraisals.
Due to the culture alignment between the leadership and the employees, employees have become more connected and engaged with TTA Inc’s vision and are more aligned with its values and norms. This has led to a 30% increase in quarterly retention rates. As a result, furniture sales have increased by 17% month-on-month, and there is excitement internally towards the end-of-year sales and product giveaway offerings.
All of this from tweaking TTA Inc’s culture. Be like TTA Inc and reach out to Imisi’s company.
We have something in store for your teams, so watch this space!
If you are a team member, feel free to share this newsletter with your Team Lead and Executive.
Check out our previous newsletters here and here on building great work cultures.
As always, here are our job openings in October.
Until November, happy cultur-ing.
Hikmah
with
Your Workplace Culture Guide.