What is Business Culture?

What is business culture? By definition it is “A blend of the values, beliefs, taboos, symbols, rituals and myths all companies develop over time”. Now, anyone behind a desk can rattle this definition off and say they have a great culture within their company, but do they? A company’s culture can be spelled out in a mission statement, or it may just be understood within the organization of how the owners and employees think and act. Regardless of what symbols, statements, or beliefs make up your company culture, you need to understand that it will play a life or death role in how successful your company will be.

With the millions of small business, and for that matter, large corporations out there, you need every advantage you can get when it comes to running a successful business. The best example I can think of when it comes to culture in a business is Zappos.com. If you examine this e-commerce company, the one thing that always pops up is their culture. Zappos.com is an online shoe and clothing store that has created such a great culture, their entire business is built around how their owners and employees feel and act. They have even taken it to the next level as they include their vendors in the whole culture equation as well. They are very proud of their culture and are not afraid to share it with the world. If you get a chance, take a quick peak at their web site and you will understand.

It’s one thing to create a culture at a new company but an entirely different thing to change one. On paper changing a business culture might sound easy but when you get down to it, it’s very difficult. Usually a bad culture is created by poor communication and either a single individual or a group of individuals that have their own culture in mind. This can be very difficult because you may have a team member that is very valuable to your day to day business that you don’t want to “rock the boat” with. I’ve seen it happen; one individual can bring down an entire company no matter how good they are at their job. The best thing to do is give that individual specific instruction on what needs to happen or they will be terminated. Bad culture spreading through an organization can cause catastrophic damage, sometimes irreversible damage, so putting a stop to it is vital.

Some people will tell you that the culture of your business is over rated and not to worry too much about it. In some cases that can be true if you have the right people that you know will create the right culture. Do not take it for granted however; keep an eye on what is going on. Ask for feedback from your employees, customers, and vendors what they think and how they see your business progressing. The worst thing you can do is hide from it, make it known that you are proud of your culture and need feedback (good and bad) to keep it going strong. Bad business culture has destroyed companies in the past and it will destroy business in the future, don’t let it be yours. Keep your culture strong and healthy, and most importantly what you want it to be.