Building company culture

A company is defined by its mission and vision, both of them translated into strategic targets identifying where and how to win. But the key ingredient for success lies in the company culture defined as the common set of values, goals and attitude.

But how can you build up the company culture if it is missing at the very start in a particular environment? This is not a rhetorical question, but a very practical one, directly connected to the overall company results. We need to understand our roots as an entity – and also our employees’ feelings and perceptions. The working environment plays a critical role, as we all spend a substantial amount of time at the workplace. The way we are connected to the culture affects our performance and confidence in the future development of the company. Therefore, a strong culture corresponding to the employees’ attitude and beliefs will positively impact our efficiency and will create a consolidated and stable team, ready to adapt to any new circumstances if the need should arise.

Defining a set of company values that are not embedded into action will have no impact. Our KONE values – Care, Collaboration, Customer and Courage – create the umbrella for our targets and achievements. Each value has its own importance and directly impacts our strategy, but the real power of the four C’s relies on their common implementation. Caring for colleagues without cross-business collaboration will not pay off, and courage to overcome difficulties and challenges is nothing without the customers that we are helping to succeed!

In simple words, company culture is a building blocks effort, where all employees are contributing by finding their place, their interests, their affinities, and their way to develop and connect with the strategic targets. It is also a continuous process that requires proactive communication, regular follow up, corrective actions and last but not least – continuous energy and resilience. In building company culture, having role models to follow is crucial. The management team plays an important part in identifying the gaps and necessary actions to foster diversity and inclusion and create a common cultural platform where all employees will feel respected and part of the team.

Building company culture is a great responsibility, but the payoff is very much worth all the effort. It is very rewarding seeing newcomers accepting experienced employees’ feedback, shared experience and guidance, seeing managers walking together with their employees on their day-to-day path, receiving unexpected support from a colleague, or even a simple smile or a thank you from another person in the team.

When teammates with completely different backgrounds and experiences feel safe, accepted, and included in the group, experiencing the unique feeling of being part of one community – you will know you have succeeded!

Catalina Dragomir
Managing Director, KONE Romania

catalina.dragomir@kone.com