Defining Good Office Culture

By: Judy Shaffer, Principal

CULTURE: “a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization, such as a business.” So says Merriam-Webster. The best companies define it, and usually early in the game. It becomes synonymous with their name and their brand. Think Zappos, Google, Nordstrom or Netflix and you know them by who they are as much as what they are. And if you know us at FORM, you know that our culture is what sets us apart. You feel it when you walk in the door and see it in the way we interact as a team.

If you own or lead a company, the culture you define becomes the guiding star for your employees. It picks up where the corporate policies leave off. It doesn’t just sustain employee enthusiasm (clearly important in itself), but it teaches them how to react and behave in any given situation on behalf of the company. Culture is also an extension of your brand. Remember the old saying that “perception is reality?” Think of this: you meet someone who tells you that they work at XYZ.  Your perception of XYZ is instantly altered based on your opinion of that person. And if you’ve never heard of XYZ? Now that experience has defined your perception of it completely.

The best companies are really just the strongest teams. Teams that work and compete well together do so because they’re well coached. Sometimes it takes a whole coaching staff, but what they teach by word and example becomes the culture of that team. The best part is that it becomes self-sustaining. Teamwork is an integral part of strong office culture and strong office culture is an integral part of a company’s success as a whole.