An organization’s capability is better judged when it is facing a crisis than when everything is hunky-dory. This will say a lot about the firm’s culture. The Covid-19 situation was one that most of us have not seen before. It is a testing time for most companies, but many of them are going through reasonably well. How do they do it? What has changed in their corporate culture to manage this situation? We must see what organizational culture means before we look at how companies coped with this distressing time.

Understanding Organizational Culture

To state it in a single line, organizational culture represents how things are done in a company. But there are more elaborate definitions. It includes expectations, philosophy, experiences, and values that guide all member behaviors. The office culture manifests outside in the form of interactions of staff members with the outside world. This culture has its basis on the attitudes, customs, beliefs, and rules, both written and unwritten, that companies have developed over the years and remain valid presently.

A company’s vision also represents culture. The company’s culture also guides the language used inside an office and how employees behave. It is also defined as that force that influences the behavior of people under various circumstances. This is very important for organizations because employees face numerous testing situations. A business management course online can teach students that companies benefit by getting innovative solutions when staff members behave positively.

Why Is Culture Important For An Organization?

Every activity of a company reflects its culture. This means that how they get over difficult situations will also depend on their culture. The company culture influences the punctuality of employees and the tone they use. The terms mentioned in a contract with outsiders and the benefits offered to employees also result from this. When a company culture aligns with workers, they feel supported and comfortable. Developing a good culture also helps companies to overcome difficulties.

Anyone attending an online business management program will learn that culture is critical for attracting good talent. Today’s youngsters check a firm’s environment before they join it. Many employees are known to leave companies and join lesser-paid jobs for a better office atmosphere. Many organizations today are nurturing good behavior and cooperation between employees instead of fostering competition among them. Corporate culture is one of the top indicators of employee satisfaction.

How Do You Recognize Good Corporate Culture?

Every company will have a different style of functioning. Their values and visions will be different. But some aspects are common for all companies with an excellent working atmosphere. We can take these as indicators for good culture.

Alignment – An essential factor in developing good culture. A company where its objectives and the aspirations of its employees are moving in the same direction can be said to have a good culture.

Appreciation – Business management courses for senior leaders stress the need for appreciation. This doesn’t just come from the top to team members. Companies must cultivate this among employees too. Everyone must appreciate one another for their excellent work and support.

Trust – This is an important quality that organizations must nurture. All workers must be able to trust their colleagues and superiors to have their back when they are implementing something innovative. This will give them the courage to try new solutions to various problems.

Performance – Companies that develop a culture that means the business will perform better than others. Employees motivate each other to excel in their jobs. This will result in better productivity and profitability for the firm.

Resilience – Companies with dynamic leadership and good culture will weather any storm with ease. They can handle change better than others. Top leaders in such companies predict and prepare for the change in advance.

Teamwork – This quality can be seen only in companies with a culture that promotes good relationships and support between colleagues. Employees will be more productive, and loyal in such a company.

Integrity – It is a must-have quality for all employees. Honesty and transparency must be promoted and nurtured. Companies with such a way of functioning will undoubtedly grow much faster. When people rely on each other to make good decisions, organizations benefit.

Innovation – Innovation happens when people can boldly experiment without fear of failure or punishment. Such a culture is essential if companies must come out with new products and services.

We have understood the benefits of having a good corporate culture. But how does a company develop this? IIM Lucknow Business Management courses teach ways to create a culture of high performance.

Steps To Develop A High-Performing Culture

1. Recognize Good Work

More than anything, what everyone looks for in life is to be recognized for their work. When kids attempt something new and succeed in it, they look at their parents for appreciation. This nature carries till the end of a person’s life. This is important in offices too. Everyone wants recognition for their good work. Employee retention is high in offices where their work is recognized. Even those who are not particularly excellent in their work notice when their work is ignored.

Recognition should start from the top. It is not just when people achieve milestones that they are praised. Team leaders must keep complimenting their members on the completion of regular jobs as required. Of course, such appreciation should be tied to company values and specific actions. Such appreciation will result in them repeating such work and inspiring others to follow. Recognition should also be followed by monetary benefits instead of just an award recognizing their work.

2. Listen To Employees

Companies that have systems for workers to share their feedback and views have seen better productivity. There are various ways to implement this. Pulse surveys and workplace chatbots are excellent tools for this purpose. Employees must have the freedom to voice their opinions. It is not enough to let them say what they feel. Leaders must take action on their feedback. Look at where there are deficiencies and improve on those points. This results in employee satisfaction and better performance.

MICA business management courses teach that it is not just what is being said that is important. Companies must also learn what is not being spoken out. Apart from oral communication, team leaders must look at employees’ body language to see if there is anything they are trying to convey. Even in remote working, video conferences can help in noticing employee behavior. Managers should regularly watch out for signals and take action on them. They must also earn the trust of their team members to receive frank feedback.

3. Leaders Must Act As Examples

Leaders in a company need to ensure that every act represents the company culture and work ethics. Team leaders and managers must exhibit such qualities that their members can follow. Any action by these people in contradiction to company values can result in disaster. Employees will be confused about what they must follow. Team members may follow their team leaders in anticipation of being rewarded, even if it doesn’t follow the culture set by the company.

Leaders must show the way. They must actively advocate the company values and culture to employees. They must discuss this with their team members. Team leaders must listen to feedback from employees and act on them. Studies have found that while a significant portion of executives believe that values are being openly communicated, only a tiny percentage of employees agree to this. The difference comes because of managers not actively following the company culture.

4. Every Action Should Reflect Values

It is not enough to formulate value statements and communicate them. Every action taken by the company must reflect these values. HR policies must reflect a company’s culture. Company managements must also align the benefits programs offered to employees with the values laid down. Support teams inside the company must use every opportunity to talk about the culture and help employees follow them. Companies should also encourage activities like volunteering.

The culture should reflect when staff members interact with outsiders. Customers should be able to see this when they meet the sales team. Values must manifest when purchase officials meet vendors. Such behavior will be appreciated by the outside agencies that are connected to the company. The management must also reward employees who are acting in a way to exemplify those values. This will motivate others to follow a value-based culture and implement it in their actions.

5. Encourage Camaraderie

Companies must recognize that people spend more time at the office than anywhere else. They must be able to develop relationships with other employees. There must be topics of discussion other than office matters. Having strong connections between members is essential to tide over adverse situations like the present pandemic. It is becoming more challenging to build such relationships with more people working from home. But companies must try to engage workers in team-building activities.

Organizations must try and get employees from different generations to communicate things other than just official matters. One method of doing this will be to identify people with common interests and allow them to discuss such matters. This is the only way for such people to mingle and relate to each other. This will help to evoke empathy among colleagues. Such interactions will also help in quicker conflict resolution.

6. Promote Learning And Development

An essential element of good corporate culture is employee development. Companies must make sure that there is continuous growth for their workers. Nobody likes to remain at the same position forever. If there is a need to upskill staff members to promote them, then organizations must take this up as a priority and get it done. Organizations must give training regularly to ensure that people are updated with the latest technologies. It shows them that the company is interested in their growth.

Training can be given in various ways. Companies can employ more experienced and knowledgeable workers to train juniors. Multiple agencies provide training to working people. A business management course online is an excellent way to teach leadership skills to those who are likely to take up such roles soon. There are many online courses provided by ed-tech firms like Talentedge for working people. These courses are excellent for employees because they don’t have to take time off their jobs to attend classes.

Thes above are just a few ways in which organizational culture can develop. Whether company management intervenes or not, a culture will start growing in every organization. But it may not have the positive results that the firm hopes to achieve. A guided attempt is required to see that the company progresses and withstands any adverse situation.

How The Pandemic Situation Affected Companies?

There is no doubt Covid-19 has had a terrible impact on all of us. There has been distressing news all around. Death rates keep climbing in many countries while the economy is trying to get back to normal in others. People have lost close relatives while many have been deprived of their only means to earn. All businesses have taken a blow due to the particular restrictions to the movement of people and goods. Fear of loss of jobs has also affected companies as people spend only on essentials.

Many small businesses were forced to close as they could not find customers to sell their wares. Others have moved to businesses that are more relevant to the present circumstances. As there is a fear of the disease spreading in crowded areas, people are moving out only for the most urgent requirements. Businesses where there is intimate human contact, like salons and beauty parlors, remained closed for a long time. Even if they were opened, it is doubtful whether they would have found many customers.

But among all these sad stories, there are instances of success. Every online business management program will mention these success stories in their courses. What was the reason for the success of these companies? It was found that companies with proper cultural characteristics were the first to come out successfully. From employee reviews on Glassdoor, it was observed that culture ratings of Culture 500 companies saw a huge jump from April to August 2020, which is when there were maximum disruptions like lockdowns, remote working, and layoffs.

How Company Culture Helped Survive Covid-19?

Handling Change

We have seen that the ability to handle change quickly is one of the characteristics of a good corporate culture. No other situation could have tested this as severely as the Covid-19 disaster. People could not go to offices to attend to their work. Many activities that were essential to ensure customer happiness could not be performed. Most organizations even announced that customer services would be disrupted due to the circumstances. Despite the worker shortage, many activities needed to be completed because companies must continue their business when things are back to normal.

In such times those companies who were ready to handle change did not take much time to transform their operations. Companies who had kept themselves digitally upgraded could resort to the work-from-home method for their employees. As they had the necessary infrastructure and their employees were trained for such work, it was easy to shift work to houses. 74% of organizations have reported maintaining or improving employee productivity during this period. Students of business management courses for senior leaders will learn how resilience has helped these companies come out unscathed.

Teamwork Helped

Companies that promoted teamwork and camaraderie among employees also recovered quickly from this situation. Many organizations reported that concern for others saw many employees putting in extra efforts. People were helping those who could not move out of their houses due to restrictions but taking up their job. Low-level employees who still had to go from one place to another physically were helped by superiors who had the facility and permission. Many volunteered to do the work of those who had to attend to sick people at home.

Another important aspect that came out in this situation was people’s concern for others’ time. Unlike meetings at offices, remote meetings found everyone coming punctually. They knew that many were juggling house chores and office work from home. Everyone knew how valuable the others’ time was. Meetings started punctually and were more fruitful as nobody wanted to waste time with meaningless discussions. Employees in companies with a positive culture knew that this is the time to do more and protect their companies from disaster.

Improving Customer Experience

Meeting customers is part of any salesperson’s job. Despite so many means of contacting a client, there is nothing like seeing them face to face. Many things need to be decided on the spot. Sending emails or messages cannot achieve this. Customers would also like to have live conversations with companies to understand things in a better way. But Covid-19 prevented all physical meetings. It was not possible to meet any customers. Clients also discouraged this for fear of being infected with the disease. So, what was the way out?

Here again, it was a digital adaptation that helped. Companies that had already started online meetings could manage the situation. Salespersons could connect with their clients through Zoom, or WhatsApp calls to finalize transactions. People could see each other and understand body language when using such applications. This was appreciated by customers who could get their work done while not risking their health. IIM Lucknow Business Management courses teach the importance of keeping in regular contact with prospective and existing customers. This is now achieved using modern technology.

Changing Delivery Methods

The Covid-19 situation has changed people in many ways. Most people only buy their necessities. There is no way anyone could purchase anything other than those with most shops remaining closed. But for many people, even buying their daily needs wasn’t easy. People who lived in highly affected areas had severe movement restrictions. Thankfully e-commerce companies soon started delivery of essentials. But it was not safe allowing people to come home for delivery. Nobody knew who was infected and who was not.

This is where innovation worked wonderfully. E-commerce companies came up with innovative ways to deliver goods without fear of infection. Contactless delivery was one way to ensure people got their needs without coming into contact with people. Packages were left at doorways while delivery persons rang the bell and stayed a safe distance away. This worked well in many places. But for those who didn’t prefer that, there was curb-side delivery available. This prevented any contact with persons in a closed environment.

Repurposing Facilities

The pandemic situation has changed the purchase patterns of customers in a way that has not happened before. People didn’t need luxury cosmetics anymore. They needed sanitizers and handwashes. There were crazy scenes of people raiding supermarkets for tissue rolls. Gloves were in high demand. Of all the things, what people wanted the most were face masks. As all experts stressed the importance of closing one’s nose and mouth to protect self and others, there was a heavy demand for masks. Innovative businesses didn’t lose even a minute.

Factories manufacturing other chemicals swiftly shifted to producing sanitizers. Many FMCG companies manufacturing cosmetics and home care products were producing handwashes and home cleaners that could kill viruses. Production in such companies was shifted to these items quickly. Innovation was not restricted to large corporations. Small tailors and garment units went into overdrive, stitching masks in different styles. Good culture is not restricted to large firms alone. With good leaders, such practices can be implemented in smaller and mid-sized companies too.

A Common Purpose Drives Everyone

We see how many companies have shifted their focus to producing goods that were more in need at the time of crisis. But not all decisions made by the top management are accepted immediately by those down below. But in this situation, there was a common purpose. Companies that had the culture of working not just for themselves but also for society found it easy to convince their staff to change working methods to suit the situation. Everyone understood that they must work towards the common cause of public safety and health.

Many companies have reported that such an alignment of objectives for the well-being of society helped make decisions quickly. Decisions pertaining to change in product lines used to take many months. But these happened within a few days. Everyone forgot all differences of opinion and joined in working towards two goals, helping people stay protected and saving the company from disaster. Even suppliers and distributors understood the need to change and supporting these companies. Organizations that believed in healthy collaboration with everyone succeeded in transforming themselves quickly.

Embracing Agility

Companies that were agile quickly recovered from the initial disruptions and started making the best out of such a situation. They knew that unless there was a drastic transformation in the way, they worked things could not move forward. It was the time to make use of the latest digital technologies to improve service to customers. A technology company found that it could use its existing technology and develop a product that helped people distance themselves from one another. There was increased use of digital payment methods.

The hierarchy was forgotten in many companies when it came to making quick decisions. Those who were concerned with an activity irrespective of their official status were consulted and decisions made on the spot. Many companies started using new methods without fear of failure. When there is a crisis, they must find a way out, and this prompted them to experiment without fear. Employees were encouraged to find innovative ways to improve business and to keep customers satisfied. People were more focused on making efforts than worrying about what the results will be.

Increased Collaboration

Collaboration between various departments is a hallmark of companies that have fostered good culture. Different teams used to come together for functional purposes. But in such a situation, companies have seen members from different business units coming together to find solutions. All conflicts and differences of opinions that existed previously were forgotten. Daily meetings between sales, finance, supply chain, and HR were happening without a concern about what time it was. The only thing on everyone’s mind was to somehow ensure that things happened quickly.

Another outcome of this situation was that the senior leadership members became more cohesive. Those companies that were allowed to operate during the lockdown saw better collaboration as they knew they must deliver essentials to their customers. People from across functions were reaching out to ensure that the company’s customers didn’t suffer. Another positive outcome of this collaboration was that there were new lessons in it for everyone. These examples could be quoted in the present and future MICA business management courses. These course certificates can be secured online after completion.

Flexible Policies

Most companies have rigid policies, and to some extent, this helps to maintain discipline in the office environment. Having strict rules about office hours, maintaining decorum, and use of assets is good for the efficient functioning of any company. Such regulations help increase efficiency and reduce waste. But Covid-19 is not a normal situation, and companies across the globe realize the flexibility should become part of the company culture. With most employees working from different locations and environments, it is not easy to implement strict timings.

The aim of companies today is to get work done, and they are willing to be flexible about everything else. Many companies are allowing staff members to take office assets to their homes. Even those organizations who were obsessively worried about cybersecurity are allowing employees to take office desktops home and work from there. Some IT companies are even paying extra allowances to make people comfortable working from home. Many companies also have relaxed performance assessment parameters. In many organizations, employees have been asked to re-prioritize goals that have lost importance due to the pandemic situation.

Better Employee Empowerment

This is another way companies have adopted to cope up with this situation. Hierarchies are loosening up. There are no rigid rules for getting projects approved. Companies realize that the ground realities in different areas are not the same. The main aim was to ensure customer satisfaction, and it is the frontline workers who know more about them than those sitting at the head offices. Moreover, regulations and restraints were changing with the spread of the disease. This made centralized decision-making more difficult. Quick decisions need to be taken on the ground for improving customer service.

It has been observed that many firms changed their approval policies on various matters. Employees on the ground were allowed to make many decisions without waiting for approval from higher authorities. Approvals take time, and that was one commodity nobody had. Things had to happen fast, and those meeting customers knew what should be done. Companies that did not have a command and control culture found it easy to delegate power to lower-level employees. Such empowerment of employees can have many benefits in the future too. The trust placed on them makes them more responsible and committed.

Changed Leadership Behavior

Another drastic change observed was in the behavior of leaders. Top management members were interacting with everyone right down to the last employee. Leaders understood that people were working from their homes, and there could be many distractions. The only way to keep them on track was to have regular interactions. These officials did not limit the conversations to official matters. There were discussions about personal interests and family. Many leaders started their talks by enquiring about family and how they felt about the staff working from home.

Those companies that were allowed to open to continue their production were reassuring employees about the safety of working in the office. One company went so far as to record a video of the CEO taking employees on a tour of the factory. This video was circulated among other staff members and also with their families. Leaders of most companies understood the need to lead from the front and reassure their employees’ families. This is probably a lesson that will be taught in a business management course online for future leaders to emulate.

Being Humane

Companies and leaders who were humane and treated their employees as people came out successfully. Instead of treating workers as costs to the company, companies that overcame the situation well were seen treating them with sympathy. Conversations between leaders and their team members started with an inquiry about health and family. Those firms with a culture that promotes camaraderie saw that coworkers were very sympathetic to each other and stood by their colleagues. Leaders began to express that they gave more importance to the health and well-being of employees’ families than work.

Many companies arranged for Covid-19 testing at their premises. This was not just for employees but their families also. As a next step, some companies conducted testing camps for their vendors and customers too. This made these partners more loyal to the company. Leaders were willing to forgive and forget lapses in work if someone was distressed about a family member’s illness. People were allowed to absent themselves to attend to relatives who were suffering from the disease. Care, compassion, and concern for health were prominent sentiments during this time.

Knowing what companies did to adapt to this new situation and how they came out successfully is one thing. But there must be lessons that one can learn from this. That is more important for students who are participating in online business management programs because they will one day become leaders. Learning from these companies will help others implement programs that can help employees return to work with confidence.

How Should Companies Function In The Future?

1. Improved Employee Safety And Well-Being

Workers’ security should get priority. Companies should give their physical and mental health a lot of importance. Most workers are likely to be distressed after putting in more than normal work hours. Many employees have been balancing personal problems and company work. They are likely to be stressed. Many might be experiencing burnout. Companies must give more importance to bringing them back to complete physical and mental well-being.

2. Reskilling Workers

Business management courses for senior leaders will stress reskilling employees. Many employees have learned new things as it was inevitable. This has proved that they are capable of doing much more than their usual work. It is time for companies to upskill workers and make them future-ready. This will also help in improving the efficiency of the company.

3. Transforming Talent Management

Companies are seeing many new phenomena after the emergency situation workers were forced to undergo. This has led to a rethinking of how talent management is handled. It is possible that there will be new methods of employee, career, and performance management. Fairness, transparency, and collaboration will be getting more important in the future. It is possible to see more focus on shared goals instead of individual goals.

4. Virtual Working Will Get More Attention

In IIM Lucknow business management courses, students will learn how companies have realized that virtual working could be used permanently. Many companies are thinking about onboarding only essential talents and using others as a service. When remote working is possible, companies can get these services from places where they are more economical. Organizations are rethinking spending for real estate and office furnishing.

5. Getting Better Returns

Companies are considering cutting costs drastically. This is because there is a steep fall in the purchasing capacity of people. People are spending much less and are careful with their money. This has resulted in companies also economizing where it is possible. They must use their resources to improve customer experience, which will subsequently give more revenues.

What Cultural Aspects Differentiated Successful Companies

Why Instead Of How

Companies that asked why something is being done instead of how it is done were seen to be more successful. The focus is not on function or teams. Asking the reason for certain actions has brought out collaborative activities focused on a common goal instead of functional metrics.

Collaborative Functioning

The MICA business management courses are likely to stress collaboration within a team and among cross-functional departments. This is one quality that helped many companies to survive because a lot of employees were unable to reach for work. Companies that had teams that could be morphed and transformed could get their work done easily, even in the absence of many people.

Increased Risk Appetite

Companies that were willing to experiment were able to achieve their goals even in such a situation. Instead of only following rules, regulations, and traditional methods, these companies were more exploratory. This helped them find innovative solutions that could help them tide over such difficult times with much lesser difficulty than those with traditional mindsets.

Better Customer-Centric Approach

Those companies which adopted a more customer-centric approach instead of a customer-focused one were able to tide over these tough times more easily. They went deep into customers’ underlying needs instead of just focusing on what was obvious. They used data that was collected during their various interactions with customers.  This helped them preempt what clients wanted and serve them better.

Tolerance To Failure

Companies that show tolerance to failure give employees the courage to experiment. Covid-19 times needed a lot of innovation, and this could only come from experimentation by those who are closer to the ground. This has helped many companies in maintaining their business and keeping their customers satisfied.

Wrapping Up

The Covid-19 situation was something unprecedented. Companies, employees, and common people were faced with circumstances never experienced before. Those companies with good workplace culture have come out of this tough spot fairly well. These traits seen in such organizations are available to a certain degree in most companies. Leaders in such firms must strive to nurture and develop all these qualities to create a great working culture.