{"id":5696,"date":"2013-11-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/?p=3345"},"modified":"2020-02-26T14:23:53","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T19:23:53","slug":"think-youve-got-good-company-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/think-youve-got-good-company-culture","title":{"rendered":"How to foster good company culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Great culture is the secret sauce behind a thriving company with happy, motivated, and fulfilled employees. It plays a major role in attracting the best talent and is a primary driver of product or service excellence. However, having a strong culture requires significant effort from everyone involved. It isn\u2019t as easy as ordering a foosball table and tapping a keg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your perks aren\u2019t culture\u2014they\u2019re just perks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s first talk about what isn\u2019t good culture. Free lunches, nap rooms, office skateboards, or a fridge packed with energy drinks does not create a great culture. Your culture comes from within, not from Wii bowling and shots of Fireball. Don\u2019t get me wrong, perks are a fun way to connect with your team, but they lack the substance that bonds a company together in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of it this way: Features alone do not make a good product. It\u2019s the core functionality of a good product that provides a solution to a problem and enables you to do something better than before. And when you add features that complement the core functionality, you scale the product\u2019s effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, your perks need the core of a shared philosophy that brings your people together and builds your company\u2019s culture. Perks should then complement your core philosophy and empower your team to scale the company culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your culture is rooted in your company philosophy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The two most vital aspects of your company philosophy are a noble cause<\/strong> and core values<\/strong> (and if you\u2019re not familiar with these terms, check out Tribal Leadership<\/em><\/a> for more details). A noble cause defines your direction by capturing your team\u2019s ultimate aspiration. It\u2019s what your team lives for and what gets them out of bed each morning. Core values are the intersection of your team\u2019s shared beliefs which ultimately provides the fuel of your company. These values guide your daily decisions and structure behaviors. In short, a noble cause defines where you are going and your values define who you are along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your philosophy needs to be relevant to what you do and who you are as a group of people. Is your product a fitness app? Then create a fitness culture<\/a>. Own who you are\u2014don\u2019t default to a generic \u201cstartup culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting your philosophy into action<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our company, digital-telepathy<\/a>, is a design company that builds one-of-a-kind web experiences. We value friendship, unique experiences, and growth above all things in life. Because of this, we determined that our noble cause is to \u201ccraft meaningful experiences,” and our values encompass these thoughts: Camaraderie is king; Do things with soul<\/a>; Support each other\u2019s ar\u00eate<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This foundation of philosophy is planted into every aspect of our business. As a result, our culture grows organically from every member of our team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do we have perks? Of course! Perks are awesome as long as they come from your core philosophy. Here are two examples, so see if you can pick out the values and noble cause in each:<\/p>\n\n\n\n