By Tatiana Milan, OBMI Human Resources Director

People often underestimate how important culture is in the workplace. If you don’t actively recognize this culture, your corporation could be missing out on a valuable opportunity to provide a positive impact on your employees and your bottom line. What is a corporate culture and what are the steps to building one that thrives? Below, I have rounded up some of the top strategies for creating a lasting and robust company culture.

Create A Foundation

The best corporate cultures are defined by a vision. This statement will guide the company’s values and influence every decision your leadership and employees make. When a company’s vision and values are authentic and routinely shared, they can even help align clients, consultants, and other stakeholders. Marriott International carries the vision statement “To be the World’s Favorite travel Company,” which is a clear guiding force for those who work for, or with the company.

Define What’s Important

While a vision speaks to a company’s purpose, its values offer a set of guidelines for the behaviors and mindsets needed to achieve that vision. OBMI architecture firm, for example, clearly articulates its values through a “Guiding Compass” that is communicated to all employees and reflects how the firm pledges to support its clients, treat colleagues, design with integrity, and uphold professional standards. Generally, three to five core values are ideal to capture the key aspects of the culture you want.

Putting Values into Action

If an organization claims, “people are our greatest asset,” it should also be ready to invest in its people in feasible ways. OBMI proclaims values like excellence and collaboration, promising employees “growth through professional development.” By following through with programs such as “Hotel University,” a unique initiative designed to expand the OBMI Team’s knowledge of Hospitality Design and Development by regularly gathering information from both internal and external sources, OBMI follows through in its company’s practices. No matter what an organization’s values may be, these ideals must be reinforced in daily operations, recruiting practices, reviewing criteria, and promotion policies.

By identifying, understanding, and clearly communicating your vision and values your company can create a culture that will foster employee engagement, where your team will do their best work and take pride in coming together to create a successful organization.