These are the three biggest killers of your corporate culture.

3 biggest killers of corporate culture

Published on 29 Nov 2022 by Alex ten Klei

How good is your corporate culture? Too little freedom? Poor communication? Duplicate calendars? Do you recognize the culture killers below? Or not? We hope that this blog motivates, inspires or brings you recognition. And that it helps you to take the right action so that your working day becomes a party (again).

1. People experience too little freedom in their work

Almost all people thrive on freedom, making them more creative and flexible. It has everything to do with autonomy. With the choice to determine, to a certain extent, how you organize your day, which tasks you pick up first, where you work, etc.

Companies that manage too tightly and thus give their employees too little freedom often experience a high turnover. And that's the last thing you want in a time like this when the job market is tighter than ever.

Our tip? Check for your organization to what extent people experience the above freedoms. Can colleagues make their own decisions? Do they feel free to make mistakes and be vulnerable? Is there enough room for independence, and does management value this?

When you tackle this theme well, you have the first culture killer.

2. Defective communication

This is, of course, an open door. But it is still common: there is poor communication. And that by all layers of the organization. From management to employees. Between the employees themselves. And from the employees to the management. Think of: people who work on their own island, colleagues who prefer to go their way instead of working together. In the end, it's all about empathy, about having an eye for the other person.

Our tip? Start the conversation and discover how people experience this within your organization. You will be amazed at the tips you get and the undiscovered stories that live within your team. Because everyone looks at communication within your company from their personality and position, there is a wealth of information in the colleagues. You have to inquire about it and then listen carefully to what is being said, even between the lines. Don't forget about non-verbal communication. Does the employee's story match what he radiates?

3. Tolerating unwanted behaviour

In every company, a colleague works more for personal gain than the team's interests. Those colleagues have double agendas, like to do elbow work, and are not immediately pleasant to deal with. They undermine the security within your culture. It is behaviour that (if it is good) is at odds with what you strive for and does not correspond to the organisation's core values.

Our tip? Take a critical look at the members of the teams. Are there people who display this behaviour, and should it be addressed?

These are difficult conversations but necessary for a good and positive company culture. If you don't, this will cause unrest and send an unwanted signal to the rest of the team. So actively aim for desired behaviour. Remember this: trust comes on foot and goes on horseback.

Alex ten Klei

Chief Play Officer

Developing skills and mindsets with gamification and team building solutions.

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