Corporate culture is not a lever, but a result of many individual measures, programs and behavior, especially of the company management. Culture can therefore only be managed indirectly and changes require a lot of time and patience.

Employee satisfaction

An essential element of corporate culture is employee satisfaction. Satisfied employees are not necessarily more willing to perform, they can also become complacent and lazy. On the other hand, dissatisfied employees never act in a performance-oriented manner, are less loyal, and latent conflicts put a strain on the efficiency of processes and the quality of services.

Regular employee surveys (working atmosphere analyses, expectations analyses, etc.) can detect dissatisfaction and allow early responses to any problems that may arise before the mood changes. They therefore reduce unwanted fluctuation and are also a meaningful instrument of strategic controlling.

Change Management

A successful company has to adapt on a daily basis. Small changes are needed to respond to specific customer requirements, or larger adjustments to implement new strategies. If these new strategies do not “just” include an expansion of the known activities (core competencies), but also require new thinking and therefore a new culture, then we speak of a “change”. The term “change” is therefore understood to mean a profound, broad-based change in the organization. This means that the employees of this organization should not only be committed to new goals (strategic) but also to new values ​​(normative).

Of course, there is great, natural resistance to this. Uncertainty, fear of loss and even defiance must be overcome. But this can only be achieved if the suffering is noticeable and great enough for those affected and the prospect that the change will bring benefits is credible.

We work with our implementation barometer to determine this level of suffering:

Dealing with Generation Y

In industrialized countries, people born between 1977 and 1998 are referred to as Generation Y (GenY, also Millennials or GYPSY’s: GenY Protagonists & Special Yuppies). They are assigned certain values ​​and thought patterns due to their specific economic and social experiences. Employees from Generation Y are self-confident, demanding and full of expectations of what is achievable and possible. They are well educated, active, and very committed and willing to perform if the goals they have in mind seem reasonable. Patience is not necessarily their strong point, however. Success must be visible quickly. Failure is not planned (lower frustration tolerance). Work, family and leisure must all find their place side by side. Nothing can be missed. Flexibility is more important than long-term commitment.

Successful leadership  must adapt to this.