Do You Say Hello in the Hallways?

Creating a Culture Statement that Captures Your Internal Brand.

Roger Schein, Executive Creative Director
Email comments to rschein@theandersongrp.com

You’ve witnessed it many times. The “new guy” arrives and seems to fit in from day one. After a few days, it’s like he’s been with the company for years. At the other extreme, of course, there’s the associate who’s been there forever but is still a colossal misfit.

So how can your company help attract more “fits” and fewer “misses?” The answer lies, in part, in developing an internal culture that’s aligned with your brand and then hiring people you believe will best embody your culture. An important element of any interviewing process should be determining if the candidate is a cultural fit. Having the proper skill sets is a must, but so is having the proper mindset. By hiring people who mesh easily with your culture, you can avoid a revolving door of misfits and the costly process of training new people all the time.

Even when you’re not in a hiring mode, you need to have a clearly defined culture that’s shared with every associate in your company. In doing so, you send a message that you have shared beliefs, attitudes and values. When people are on the same page, it can lead to greater teamwork and productivity.

One of the most effective ways to articulate a company’s culture is by crafting a culture statement. A culture statement is a document that expresses your company’s mindset and way of life. It communicates the values and the philosophies you live by.

The best culture statements give a clear picture of what it’s like to work at an organization. Are the people collaborative or territorial? Is breaking the rules encouraged or frowned upon? Do people say hello in the hallways? Is it OK to be a little weird? (At Zappos, it’s actually encouraged!)

Putting things in writing forces you to be honest about the kind of culture you’ve created—and want to promote and build upon. If there’s anything you’ve written that doesn’t feel quite right, rework it until it sounds like your organization. Or simply eliminate it.

A culture statement is a useful tool both inside and outside your company. Besides helping you make better hiring decisions and giving job candidates a revealing glimpse into who you are, sharing your culture statement with current employees will energize them and encourage them to continue living up to the standards your organization has established. It will also help you evaluate if someone’s no longer a fit with the company—and make it easier to know exactly why.

A culture statement, like a brand’s core values, can be a guide in making new policies and establishing best practices. If your culture statement incorporates your company’s passion for innovative thinking, you want to ensure that your internal processes and working relationships encourage trying new things and thinking outside the box. 

There’s no established template or format to follow; a culture statement can take many forms. Some culture statements begin as a list of the brand’s core values, such as integrity, responsiveness and creativity, followed by a few sentences or a paragraph that supports each of the values. Other culture statements are written as a set of bulleted beliefs and principles.

Here are some suggestions to keep in mind when writing a culture statement:

• Put the best person on the job to spearhead the effort. Depending on your company, it may be a human resources director, marketing manager, chief morale officer, or PR director. Allow people from throughout your organization to provide input; share the process with them.

• For inspiration, research what other companies have done. You may want to start with these:

http://www.arcus.net/content/culture-statement

http://about.zappos.com/our-unique-culture/zappos-core-values

http://www.redriver.com/who-we-are/code-of-ethics.html

http://www.pittsburghzoo.com/Zoo%20Careers/CultureStatement

• Be authentic. Make sure your statement is a reflection of your brand, not Starbucks’ brand.

• Don’t confuse a vision statement, which describes what your organization wants to be in the future, with a culture statement, which focuses on who you are today.

• Speak plain English. Try not to be too formal, unless that’s part of your culture.

• Include statements about how you think, what you believe, how you treat others, and how you work, such as:
• We embrace change as a healthy part of growth.
• The better we treat our employees, the happier our customers.
• We believe everyone should have a life outside the office.
• Never hesitate to suggest a better way of doing things.

• Launch your culture statement at a special company meeting or special event to get everyone excited about it. Give everyone a laminated copy of it.

• Share it on your website, Facebook page or Twitter account.
   

Just as having a strong brand sends a clear message to the audiences that matter most to you, so does a well-crafted culture statement—because it supports your brand. All your associates are on the same page; they know how they’re expected to interact with each other, your customers and the public-at-large. One powerful result: your customers and the public know what to expect from your organization. Together, you’re sending a unified message that says, “This is who we are, and we’re unlike any other company.” And in any economic environment—stable or not-so-stable—standing out helps move your organization ahead.