For many businesses, building engagement is a top priority. However, the interplay of engagement and culture is more complex than many realize. We’ve taken a multifaceted approach to the subject in some of our recent blogs, exploring every topic from how to build engagement within your organization, to which employees need an engagement boost the most. Take a look at our roundup of our top 5 engagement blogs. Do any of these issues apply to your organization?
How does your company recognize achievement?
Many of us instinctively recognize the merits of praise to encourage and engage employees. However, almost every organization has a different take on how to provide this motivation in their own workforce. We cover several approaches to acknowledging employee achievement, as well as uncovering a missing link that all recognition programs should have, in our post “Employee Engagement: a Cultural Imperative.”
Engagement ≠ Culture (and vice versa).
It’s tempting to equate engagement with culture. We see an excited, motivated workforce and assume the culture’s doing fine. Or, we see a productive, well-run company and conclude the employees must be engaged. Sadly, it isn’t always so. Engaged employees can feel a personal commitment to their job while working at cross-purposes from within the company. And a high-functioning corporation can still suffer from dissatisfied employees who feel like cogs rather than valued workers. The solution to bringing these forces into alignment? Culture. From Denison CEO and Lead Consultant, Bryan Adkins: “When Culture and Engagement Don’t Align.”
What’s the difference between organisational climate and culture?
To those who operate in the organisational culture sphere, “climate” has become an important discussion topic. For good reason: understanding the impact organisational climate can have on your workforce can go a lot ways toward diagnosing issues with your culture. Karen Jones covers the topic in depth with her article, “Are You Focused on Organisational Culture or Climate?”
How do you engage new hires?
You’ve just brought on a new team member. They’re in a trial phase, and you’re both trying to see if they’ll be a good fit. With that in mind, many organizations hold back on engaging their new hires, or soliciting their feedback, until they’ve learned whether that employee will be sticking around. However, that approach may be self-defeating. Ia Ko discusses the subject: “Engaging New Hires with Your Organizational Culture.”
How can your culture bridge a cultural gap?
Anyone who’s worked across national or regional boarders knows how quickly a local culture can affect how teams approach business. This can be true from New York to LA, from London to Lisbon, and from Hong Kong to Hamburg. So, how do you create an organizational culture across national or regional differences? From Denison Europe Consultant Karl-Heinz Oehler, “National Culture vs. Organisational Culture: Which One Wins?”
Work with us to understand how engagement can impact your organizational culture.
Does your organization struggle with engagement? A misaligned culture may be at the root of the problem. Our consultants specialize in understanding corporate culture at every level. Contact us to learn more about how to build a culture of engagement.
