Dave Barnett is Chief Administrative Officer of DeVry University.
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Company culture plays a huge role in an organization’s success. It can help organizations of all sizes and sectors attract and retain talent, improve employee engagement and elevate their mission, reputation and values. Simply put, culture can be an enabler of success or it can create an environment where an organization flounders.
In fact, Gartner’s survey of HR leaders on their priorities for 2024 revealed organizational culture to be among the top five priorities for the first time, second only to leader and manager development.
But what is culture? Workplace culture is the way we choose to interact with one another as we work to achieve results. I view results as what we’re doing, and how we choose to be with one another as we pursue results is ultimately what creates culture.
Here's how culture, when done right, can be a massive accelerator of the performance, results and success your organization wants to achieve.
Culture Is An Outcome
Culture exists whether you pay attention to it or not, and if left unattended, it can and likely will shape you rather than you shaping it. The culture of an organization is defined by the space between what it permits and what it promotes. When goals and values are unclear, culture becomes diffuse and difficult to influence. The biggest mistake organizations make is believing that culture is something that can be deliberately changed overnight.
Some organizations get culture wrong by not focusing on it at all and letting it develop haphazardly. But culture left to its own devices can take over and potentially work against business objectives. Others go wrong by trying to force internal organizational changes without understanding that this can lead to frustration.
The key is being intentional and making incremental changes to guide your organization in the right direction. Culture is shaped by shifting things around so that they flow differently. Change systems, processes, communication patterns and organizational rituals; those things can all shift culture. Remember, the culture that’s right for any organization depends on its mission, vision and business goals.
HR Has A Central Role In Cultivating A Positive Culture
Workplace culture exists in all interactions and experiences that shape how people perceive an organization. As the department responsible for installing consistent people management practices and shaping employee experience, HR plays a central role in cultivating culture in an organization.
The chief human resources officer should work closely with the CEO to define the desired culture and then drive efforts to achieve it. For instance, culture lives in how employees interact with their direct managers, so HR must ensure those interactions are positive and consistent. HR oversees leadership development and implements management practices to provide a consistent experience for all employees. In a world of increasing hybrid and remote work, the percentage of culture that is defined by one-on-one employee-to-manager interactions is increasing dramatically.
Moreover, HR controls many aspects of the employee value proposition, including benefits, compensation and professional development opportunities. All these factors combine to demonstrate an organization’s values and priorities to employees. Therefore, the HR department has a priority role and responsibility in stacking the building blocks of a strong, positive culture.
Allow Trust To Guide All Efforts
When shared values permeate an organization’s culture, they can create a true north—guiding how employees interact and work together. No matter how complex or chaotic things become, employees will know how to navigate in the right direction. For example, when people can predict how their colleagues will communicate and behave, it fosters a sense of reliability and consistency. This can build trust, which is the foundation for effective collaboration.
With trust, teams can collaborate openly by sharing different perspectives. This leads to better problem-solving and the discovery of innovative solutions together. At its core, culture just comes down to how people treat each other. And when colleagues support each other, goodwill can spread throughout the organization. Productivity and work quality can improve as a result.
In addition, leadership must clearly define and communicate the values and behaviors that shape their organization. They must then model those values in their own words and actions every single day. This consistency and predictability are what employees rely on to believe in their leaders and the organization. Thus, culture is the glue that binds teams together, becoming the fuel that powers organizations forward.
Culture Can Guide Decision-Making During Tough Times
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, organizations around the world faced difficult decisions and uncertainty. My institution was no exception. DeVry, however, performed incredibly well through it all.
Our Culture of Care and our TEACH Values (Teamwork, Energy, Accountability, Community and Heart) served as a filter and clear framework for every choice we made, allowing us to navigate challenges with ease and minimize negative impacts. For any organization, that kind of clarity and shared purpose is invaluable. At a time of global crisis, a strong culture made all the difference.
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