The benefits of a strong corporate culture are both intuitive and supported by social science. It is known that culture “can account for 20-30 percent of the differential in corporate performance when compared with ‘culturally unremarkable’ competitors.”
There are many guides, 101’s and entire libraries about corporate culture. It refers to the shared values, attitudes, morals and beliefs that characterize an organization and its members. It is rooted in the organization’s goals, strategies, structure, and also its approach to employees, customers, investors and community.
Company culture includes a variety of elements, including work environment, company mission, value and ethics. According to the Harvard Business Review the most important characteristic of a successful corporate culture is a compelling corporate vision followed closely by shared corporate values. A simple yet effective way creating a corporate culture includes three steps, as Whistler Personnel Solutions has shown:
- Create your compelling vision and get everyone on board
A good vision provides the entire company with a sense of purpose, gives employees focus and guides every decision they make. - Identify your company values and then stick to them
While the vision answers “Why?”, the values define how to get there. - Create a positive work environment
In fact, without people there will be no culture. Thus, the final ingredient in creating a successful corporate culture is to center it around your people. Figure out what makes them tick and then find a way to deliver what’s important to them.
Values are critical for attracting and retaining top talents
In fact, values don’t only matter to companies and employees. A newly released study from the job and recruiting portal Glassdoor suggests that there may be more to attracting workers than compensation and benefits. “Having a compelling mission, culture and values are critical for attracting and retaining top talent in a competitive job market – it is what differentiates each and every employer,” the study explains. Across the countries job seekers are seeking more meaningful workplace experiences (77 percent), 56 percent consider a good workplace culture to be “more important than salary”.
73 percent even “would not apply to a company unless its values align with my own personal values.” The younger the respondents are, the more important the company’s values seem to be. According to the survey, 89 percent of adults said they felt it was imperative that an employer has a clear mission and purpose. Once they are with a company, a clear mission is important for 66 percent to stay engaged at work. These insights are even more important in a competitive job market, especially in times where job-hopping is in vogue.
ERNI’s four core values
Furthermore, company values also may ensure the success of a company. According to Huffpost, the five “core values” for ensuring corporate success are: Integrity, Accountability, Diligence, Perseverance and Discipline. No matter which values a company chooses to embrace they must be a true and authentic reflection of that company’s actions and culture. ERNI for example is based on the following four core values:
- Trust
- Responsibility
- Passion
- Independence
These values are way more than a simple four-point-list someone came up with one day. Since the founding of ERNI, our activities have been shaped by these fundamental values that compose our philosophy.
“We are a business partner to countless persons who place their trust in us and who rely on us. In the context of everyday business, our managers and employees make decisions with a view to respecting and preserving these values”, says Andreas Gisler, CEO ERNI Group.
As a matter of fact, many of our customers appreciate our employees for their distinctive friendliness, openness and self-confidence. ERNI employees are often described as interested, dedicated, polite and methodical. These qualities define the company and reinforce our authenticity, and they rest on our values.
Customers place their trust in ERNI – and we shall not disappoint them. ERNI emphasizes its reputation to foreground expertise and transparency and does the utmost to maintain its good name. However, we support only those customers that appreciate the company’s values and in cases where we possess the expertise needed to generate significant added value.
What’s next?
As values are getting more important – for us, our employees, our applicants and, of course, our customers and partners – we would like to expound our four core values in a little series of articles. Not only will we show the values and what they mean to us, but we will also underline the overall meaning of these values.
