Business impact operating in a multi-cultural society

Have you ever considered the implications multi-ethnicity has on the workplace and how employees and clients relate to your company culture?

To create an engaging, acceptable company culture, consider these six components.

1. Vision

A vision statement is a simple, fundamental element. This simple phrase identifies a company’s values and provide it with purpose. That purpose, in turn, guides employee decision making. A good vision statement, when genuine and prominently displayed, may even help orient customers, suppliers and other stakeholders.

However, if too vague, it might apply to any number of companies and won’t give a valuable insight into the inner workings of your company.

2. Values

A company’s values are at the core of its culture. While a vision articulates a company’s purpose, values offer a set of guidelines on the behaviours and mind set needed to achieve that vision.

3. Practices

Values are of little importance unless they are enshrined in a company’s practices. Whatever a company’s values, they must be reinforced in all of its policies. Most importantly, instilled into the operating principles of daily life in the company.

4. People

A coherent culture includes people who either share its core values or possess the willingness and ability to embrace them. People stick with cultures they like.

5. Narrative

Any organisation has a unique history. The elements of that narrative can be formal or informal but it is more powerful when identified and told as a part of a firm’s culture. Be wary of dwelling too much on the past, today and the future are equally important.

6. Place

Cities and countries have local cultures that may reinforce or contradict the culture a firm is trying to create. It is important to note that workplace layout can reflect or contradict a company’s culture. Place — whether geography, architecture, or aesthetic design — impacts the values and behaviours of people in a workplace.

There are other factors but these six provide a firm foundation for shaping a company culture.

Based on an article by John Coleman, Harvard Business Review, 2013