How to Build Company Culture at a Small Business
How do you build a company culture at a small business?
- Define mission and vision
- Promote close ties among employees
- Encourage employees to learn from mistakes
- Recognize strengths and weaknesses
Managing a small business is no easy task. There are so many departments to keep track of, and so many unexpected situations that might occur on any given day. If you have a tendency of micromanaging every level of your business’s organizational workforce, employees might begin to feel like they’re not valued at work. You need to step back and think about more efficient ways of building a company culture. While it may take time before you’re able to achieve this feat, equipping yourself with knowledge on the building blocks of good company culture is the first step.
Define mission and vision
It goes without saying that any endeavor geared towards nothingness, won’t be meaningful. As a small business owner, the mechanical delivery of goods and services – while they contribute to your company’s lifeblood – just can’t be the end-all, be-all. Your business’s daily operations should just be a means to a far greater goal.
But what happens if you don’t even know what your company’s goals are? Without a clear vision and mission for your company and your workforce, people won’t find meaning in the kind of work they do.
One of the first steps to creating a solid company culture is to first define your business’s mission and vision. Simply put, your business’s vision is what it ultimately wants to achieve. On the other hand, the mission pertains to the undertakings your business is willing to do, in the pursuit of that vision.
Promote close ties among your employees
Some people go to work to earn a living. They might not feel passionate about the things they do, but this should not be taken against them. This does not mean, however, that passion cannot be organically developed and promoted within your small business.
An impassioned workforce does many wonders for your company. Some of the benefits include a measurable increase in the level of productivity, as well as, an overfall feeling of happiness among your employees.
This idyllic picture might seem unattainable in the beginning, but the concept is simple – promote close ties among your employees. There are several ways to achieve this, but the most common way is by actively conducting avenues by which your workforce is able to relax and mingle with one another.
Employees who are closer to their colleagues will eventually feel unburdened by the stresses of work imposed on them on a daily basis. They will also begin to view your small business in a more positive light.
Encourage employees to learn from their mistakes
Mistakes are just simply gateways to further learning. While it is a generally accepted behavior to penalize mistakes, as a small business owner, you should instead stress to your employees that learning from their mistakes is key for their success.
Creating an environment where your employees see mistakes as opportunities for growth, rather than something that they should actively avoid at all times, contributes to the creation of healthy company culture.
Recognize strengths and weaknesses
Not everyone possesses the same qualities and capabilities. If you want to foster a company culture within your small business, you should first and foremost recognize this fact.
The richness and variation offered by a vast pool of employees should not be seen as a challenge to be overcome, but as something that you should take advantage of. Recognizing your employees’ strengths will help them feel more energized and encouraged to do their tasks to the best of their abilities. On the other hand, recognizing their weaknesses allows you to offer them avenues or other opportunities for growth.
Key Takeaway
Building a company culture takes a lot of time, effort, practice, and experimentation. After all, every major undertaking begins with a simple step. The simple guide above has hopefully provided you with some useful tips which might help you in this endeavor towards a unified culture.
