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W.Look inside a market-leading company in a highly competitive industry to find the differentiators that have pushed them to that position. Overwhelmingly, we find that culture is the key.
A strong, unique and compelling culture that drives great client experiences and creates positive employee experiences is the formula for success in an environment where pricing and product quality vary widely from provider to provider.
This is nothing new. Anyone who dine at Chick-fil-A, fly Southwest Airlines, or go to Starbucks, is organizing and doing business based more on the quality of the experience than on the price or quality of the product. They are not inferior, nor are they overwhelmingly superior for their price. We are doing enough to be
What makes a strong culture?
What are the characteristics of a differentiated culture and how do companies develop it? It’s often not as simple as “Take care of your people and they will take care of your customers.”
Customer care in these organizations is mandatory and not desired. Employee experiences tend to be disciplined and rigid, built on processes, procedures, and policies purposefully designed to ensure a great customer experience. This is part of the secret. Documenting processes and procedures and enforcing them is where many organizations fall short, but those with a differentiated culture do not. becomes clear. Enforcing rules is an expression of good leadership.
Strong cultures tend to value employees in concrete ways. However, policy compliance and a responsible personality are expected.
Operations are unacceptable in an organization with a strong culture bad behavior. This manipulation evokes bad employee behavior and bad customer behavior. Strong organizations stay away from abusive customers while respecting their employees.
Not all organizations with great cultures have clear values. However, they are frequently present. This statement provides anchor points that underpin the nature of the business and incorporates these values into core messages in recruitment, onboarding, training and development, discipline, celebration, and planning practices.
support culture
A documented system and noble values help, support and propagate a strong culture. However, they do not “impose” a differentiated experience on the organization. There is an organic element that comes only through leadership.
Leadership is never perfect, but a leader’s character, courage, and vision can either justify or invalidate a good culture. The endless commentary on leadership proves its importance. No need to try to define good leadership here, just say that it is a necessary element in the cultural equation.
Operations can develop a strong, unique and compelling culture through a commitment to leadership that emulates the values, documented processes and procedures, and traits that define what makes an organization better. Perfection does not exist, but differentiation exists, followed by market leadership.
— Ben Gundy, Principal, Envisor Consultingcontact him bengandy@envisorco.com.