Blog: The Power in People

Organisational culture is an often-overlooked factor in business transformation. At Pinnacle Growth Group, we work with multiple organisations of various scales on business improvement programmes, and we understand the importance of creating and nurturing a positive culture.

In this blog, our General Manager, Judith Neill, talks us through why recognising and harnessing the power in your people is critical to the health of your business.

“Corporate culture drives success. It can be defined as the underlying beliefs, assumptions, values and ways of interacting that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organisation.

“Through our work with clients across the UK and Ireland, I know that an organisation’s people are its most important asset, and that the culture of a business must be ever evolving and reflective of employee values.

“Effective communication is key to developing a positive organisational culture. Good communication will not only improve business performance and help accomplish organisational goals, it will also ensure that your internal stakeholders are informed about important developments, like growth plans and how the business is doing.

“Solid communication fuels employee engagement and ensures that your staff feel valued, listened to and invested in your business and its success. It is important to communicate your organisation’s vision clearly to your employees, and to explain how your core values relate to your long-term goals.

“Transparency is a key cornerstone of trust and employees who feel informed and that they understand the ‘bigger picture’ and how their contribution aligns with it, are more likely to feel engaged and to talk positively about their work and your organisation. This can help you to attract and retain talent, as engaged employees have the potential to become some of your most valuable brand ambassadors.

“Providing recognition for achievements, along with regular feedback, to employees is also a key factor in good employee engagement, and it is equally important to seek feedback from them through surveys and discussion. These findings must, of course, be translated into action.

“Acknowledging wins will make your staff feel valued whilst the provision of constructive feedback and the setting of professional goals is a clear demonstration of your organisation’s investment in their ongoing career development.

“It is incredibly important to provide your employees with clear, structured paths for internal promotion and to create personal development plans that are formally reviewed biannually, to ensure that each employee’s career development is supported, even if next steps don’t always align directly with business needs.

“Businesses should provide staff with support for training courses and personal development, including time to study. They should also attempt to assign projects to each staff member, to help fulfil their potential.

“Your employees should always feel that there is an open line of communication between themselves, their team leads and management, and you should ensure that they are made aware of of any internal roles that become available. If they are not equipped to apply, then you should communicate clearly to help them understand why they are not suited.”

“Creating a sense of ownership is also critical. Some of the most successful businesses emphasise ownership for every action within the organisation, with clearly defined measurables assigned for each activity. This creates a sense of accountability and can help your employees develop into effective managers.

“Just as you spend time getting to know your clients you should also invest in getting to know your employees – actively seeking to find out about their long-term goals and what it is about their work that excites them will motivate them to speak positively about your brand.

“Providing instant messaging and company social platforms can help your employees to bond with each other, while investing in team building activities, such as away days or onsite workshops, will encourage them to connect in person and forge positive working relationships.

“The importance of ensuring that there is an element of fun in your organisational culture cannot be underestimated. Winning organisations are serious about fun and some of the most successful in the world understand the importance of providing ways for employees to destress.

“They may, for example, offer flexible working hours and healthcare plans, organise regular work socials and team sports groups, or provide healthy perks such as corporate gym membership.”

“Fostering a strong organisational culture will, of course, require ongoing financial investment, so it may be worthwhile exploring the many grants and regional funding options available for start-ups and scale-ups.

“At Pinnacle Growth Group, we’re proud to have fostered a strong corporate ethos. Our team of experts specialise in securing funding for our clients from numerous organisations such as Invest Northern Ireland, InterTrade Ireland and GB bodies, and we can help you identify and apply for any funding that you may need to invest in your culture.

For more expert business advice, email us at: info@pinnaclegrowth.group