How to foster a positive organizational culture: Tips for managers

In the current era of rapid change and uncertainty, short-term business priorities will always take precedence over what is a long-term investment in building a culture.

One of the biggest challenges facing tech organizations today is not wealth creation, but building a culture that will enable wealth creation for all its stakeholders, including the primary stakeholders, its employees.

In my experience, a workplace where employees feel valued, are free to innovate, can achieve work-life balance, and have opportunities to learn and grow their careers will automatically see the company grow exponentially. Hence, a positive organizational culture is increasingly the focus of organizations today.

Traditionally, HR was seen as the custodian of organizational culture. But increasingly, we are seeing an awareness that managers and business leaders need to share this responsibility. They have a direct influence on what an employee experiences at the workplace. HR and business hence need to partner to create a positive organizational culture.

This is easier said than done. In the current era of rapid change and uncertainty, short-term business priorities will always take precedence over what is a long-term investment in building a culture. As managers, however, there are certain basic steps that we can all follow so that we keep moving forward on this journey. Sharing some

1. Listen and communicate honestly
   Too often, as leaders, we are so caught up in strategies that we forget to listen to our teams, who will actually execute those strategies, and being the closest to the customers, will have the best insights that can guide us. I recently observed that in a staff meeting, I ended up speaking for 20 minutes out of the 30 minutes planned. It is important that we give our teams the opportunities to speak and spend more time actively listening to them. While the team is closer to the ground, managers have a better view of the organizational imperatives. Hence, these interactions have to be two-way with managers responding basis the larger view at the organizational level.
   
   2. Keep it light and simple
   I feel that we tend to take our work too seriously. I am sure that all of us have experienced meetings that are held with the utmost gravity. I believe in keeping things light, as a small smile can help break the ice, and a dash of humor improves the communication and creativity of our teams. A little bit of humor also goes a long way in boosting morale and making people feel good about their work and their colleagues. But like all things in life, humor should also be in the right balance. It should be used to enhance interactions and not distract.
   
   3. Encourage inclusivity where everyone’s opinions are heard
   A feeling of being included leads to diverse viewpoints coming out leading to better outcomes, promoting a sense of ownership, fostering respect and trust, and encouraging innovation. As managers, it is important that we create an inclusive and safe environment where people feel safe to voice their opinions.

4. Lead by example
Something we all know but very difficult to implement. I have a simple rule that I follow. In any interaction, I behave with others the way I would want them to treat me if I was in that role. This guides my behaviours and actions.

5. Promote a healthy work-life balance
I recently read a report that workplace burnout is on the rise. Burnout is slowly becoming an increasing cause of attrition. Employee well-being should be our top priority as managers, and we need to ensure that we keep a lookout on how stretched our team members are and balance accordingly.