Why to apply the 23plusone method to build business culture
As studies have consistently shown, good (strong & healthy) organizational culture is vital for both businesses and their employees. Successful companies are internally well connected, enabling the employees to manifest the company values as a unified entity, and strengthening the businesses and their brand’s positive external perception. As much as 69% of senior company leaders attribute much of their success during the Covid-19 pandemic to their culture, and 70% of them link their culture to the company’s competitive advantage. Therefore, culture can truly emphasise the uniqueness and strengths of a company, and help organizations through hard times.
Furthermore, 67% of company leaders see culture as more important than strategy or operations. As strategy and operations are often more tangible and less open for the individual experience than culture (= patterns of behaviors and traits of individuals), understanding culture can be more difficult. If employees themselves are being asked about how they experience the culture, over half of them answer the organization’s mission and values. These indeed build the basis for culture, provide a direction, and desirably, a sense of purpose for the employees. 23plusone as a value system has been a great help for thousands of organizations and leaders, as well as other professionals, in identifying and selecting the values that resonate with their proposal the most. This step is essential in formulating a clear purpose and a strong and lasting culture. But remember, you can’t stop there. Culture is dynamic and needs continuous attention and development!
On the other hand, business culture can only be as strong as the employees. Considering employees as individuals and focusing on their well-being and happiness is certainly appreciated and expected more and more. Our research identifies five categories of human drivers and needs which have been proven to be the building blocks for happiness. After identifying what areas need more activation, it is easier to think about what are the right actions to take to build a more balanced and happy life. Happy people form strong cultures and more attractive business!
If you are already familiar with the 23plusone card deck and would like to learn more about how to use it to analyze culture or build attractive mission and value statements, you are most welcome to join our seasonal classes where we talk about the ways of application and guide you through them with various exercises.