How to Improve Organisation Culture: A Guide to Transforming the Workplace

Introduction

Organisational culture is the invisible force that drives the day-to-day behaviours, attitudes, and interactions within a company. This culture can sometimes turn toxic, leading to issues like staff feeling undervalued, overworked, and isolated.

Improving culture in the business environment isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must. A positive, cohesive culture enhances morale, productivity, and retention. Here’s a practical roadmap to tackle these issues and foster a thriving workplace culture.

Diagnose the Culture with Honest Feedback

Before making changes, you need a clear understanding of what’s wrong. Identifying patterns of negative behaviours will help you create targeted solutions. Many employees hesitate to speak openly for fear of retaliation. Use these approaches to gather honest insights.

Anonymous Surveys

Anonymous Surveys are a powerful tool for gathering honest feedback from employees without fear of retaliation. By ensuring anonymity, employees are more likely to share their true feelings about the workplace culture, management practices, and their own experiences. These surveys can cover a range of topics, such as team dynamics, leadership effectiveness, and employee satisfaction. To get the most actionable insights, questions should be specific and clear, with options for both quantitative ratings and qualitative responses. It’s essential to act on the feedback collected, as employees will only continue to participate if they see that their voices lead to meaningful change. Regular anonymous surveys help track cultural shifts over time, allowing leaders to make data-driven decisions for improvement.

Exit Interviews

Learn from employees who leave. They’re often candid about what’s broken. Conduct these interviews in a non-confrontational, confidential setting, to encourage departing employees to share the true reasons behind their decision to leave. Key areas to explore include team dynamics, communication breakdowns, feelings of being undervalued, or any instances of negative behaviour.

Town Halls or Listening Sessions

These sessions provide a platform for open dialogue between employees and leadership, helping to break down communication barriers. These sessions allow staff to voice concerns, share suggestions, and discuss cultural issues in a safe, structured environment. By actively listening to employees’ feedback, leaders can gain valuable insights into the day-to-day challenges faced by staff, such as feeling undervalued or encountering toxic behaviours. To make these sessions effective, ensure they are moderated impartially, encourage honesty, and follow up on the feedback with clear action plans. When done regularly, town halls can foster a sense of transparency, trust, and inclusivity, making employees feel more engaged and invested in shaping the organisation’s culture.

Set Clear Values, and Live Them

Many organisations have values written on their walls but fail to live by them. To shift culture, redefine or reinforce core values that promote respect, integrity, and teamwork. However, these values must go beyond words:

• Model behaviour from leadership: Leaders must embody the values daily. If respect and transparency are core, leaders must practice open communication and treat everyone equally.
• Integrate values into performance metrics: Recognise and reward employees who demonstrate cultural values, not just those who achieve business results.
• Hold everyone accountable: Bad behaviours often flourish when tolerated. Create systems where unethical conduct has clear consequences.

Improve Recognition and Appreciation

Feeling undervalued is a common cause of disengagement. Combat this by creating a culture of recognition.

Frequent Acknowledgment

Frequent Acknowledgment involves consistently recognising employees’ efforts and contributions, both big and small. This can be as simple as a verbal thank you for a job well done or a quick note of appreciation for going above and beyond. Regular, specific praise not only boosts morale but also reinforces desired behaviours, making employees feel seen and valued. The key is consistency acknowledging achievements in real-time, not just during annual reviews. This creates a positive feedback loop, encouraging ongoing engagement and fostering a culture where employees feel motivated and appreciated on a daily basis. Train managers to give regular, specific praise. For example, instead of saying, “Good job,” say, “Your presentation had a strong impact on our team success.”

Peer Recognition Programs

Empower employees to acknowledge and appreciate each other’s contributions, fostering a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect. These programs allow team members to highlight the efforts of their colleagues, whether through a formal platform, shout-outs during meetings, or peer-nominated awards. Peer recognition helps create a more inclusive and supportive work environment, where employees feel valued by their peers, not just management. It also encourages teamwork and reinforces positive behaviours, as employees are more likely to engage in actions that are recognised by their colleagues. When implemented well, peer recognition programs can strengthen relationships, improve morale, and contribute to a more positive organisational culture.

Celebrate Wins Big and Small

Don’t reserve celebrations only for hitting quarterly goals. Celebrate individual milestones, team achievements, and even personal victories.

Build Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is the belief that it’s safe to take risks and express oneself without fear of embarrassment or retaliation. Without it, employees engage in self-preserving behaviours and withhold feedback.

Encourage open feedback by creating structured ways for employees to share their ideas and concerns without fear. Anonymous suggestion boxes can help.

Reward risk taking. Celebrate employees who take initiative, even if the result isn’t perfect. This fosters innovation and trust. When errors occur, treat them as learning opportunities, not occasions for blame.

Tackle Workload and Burnout

Overwork and burnout diminish morale, leading to resentment and disengagement.

Review and Adjust Workloads

Regularly assess whether employees are overwhelmed or underutilised, ensuring that tasks are distributed fairly and realistically. This can be done through regular check-ins or workload assessments to identify bottlenecks, excessive stress, or imbalances between team members. By addressing overwork early, organisations can prevent burnout and foster a healthier work-life balance. Managers should adjust workloads where necessary; redistributing tasks, offering support, or bringing in additional resources. This approach not only improves productivity but also shows employees that their well-being is a priority, which can increase engagement and reduce turnover.

Encourage Boundaries

Normalise taking breaks, using holiday, and disconnecting after work hours.

Invest in Resources

Hire additional staff or provide tools and training to increase efficiency where gaps exist.

Foster Collaboration, Not Competition

In cold, unfriendly workplaces, employees often see each other as competitors rather than collaborators. Break this cycle by promoting teamwork.

Restructure Incentives

Replace competitive, individual rewards (e.g. “top performer of the month”) with team-oriented and values-driven recognition. Traditional incentive systems often focus on rewarding individual contributors, which can encourage unhealthy competition and foster toxic behaviours. By restructuring incentives to prioritise collaboration, teamwork, and shared goals, organisations can create a culture of collective success. For example, providing recognition for achieving team targets, collaborating across departments, or contributing to company-wide initiatives promotes unity and cooperation. Additionally, incentives should align with company values, rewarding behaviours like integrity, empathy, and innovation rather than just results. This approach not only reduces internal rivalries but also encourages employees to work together towards common objectives, strengthening overall team dynamics and enhancing morale.

Create Social Opportunities

Provide structured and informal ways for employees to connect on a personal level, beyond work tasks. When interactions are purely professional, they can become transactional and cold, contributing to a disengaged or unfriendly atmosphere. By organising regular social events, such as team lunches, or casual coffee chats, employees can form stronger bonds, improve communication, and build trust. These opportunities help break down silos, encourage cross-team collaboration, and promote a sense of belonging. Virtual teams can also benefit from social opportunities, such as online game sessions or virtual coffee breaks, to foster a sense of community. When employees connect as people, not just coworkers, it creates a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture, leading to better collaboration and higher morale.

Train and Empower Leadership

Leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping culture. Toxic or unskilled leaders can perpetuate negative behaviours, while strong leaders can inspire positive change.

Train Managers

Equip leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to foster a positive, supportive work environment. Effective management goes beyond overseeing tasks; it’s about cultivating trust, communication, and employee engagement. Managers should be trained in emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and how to provide constructive feedback. They also need to be adept at recognising and addressing negative behaviours, while promoting a culture of respect and transparency. Leadership training should also emphasise the importance of coaching, empowering employees, and actively listening to their concerns. Managers who are well-trained in these areas are more likely to create an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and motivated. By investing in leadership development, you can ensure that managers are not only driving productivity, but also building the strong, positive culture necessary for long-term success.

Monitor Leadership Behaviour

Monitoring leadership behaviour can be done through regular 360-degree feedback, where employees provide input on their managers’ leadership styles and effectiveness. Leadership behaviour should be evaluated not just in terms of results, but also how they treat their teams, manage conflict, and create an inclusive and supportive environment. Monitoring also includes observing how leaders handle stress, communicate transparently, and set the tone for company culture. If any gaps are identified, corrective actions, such as coaching or further training, can be implemented to align leadership practices with the organisation’s values.

Promote the Right People

Reward leaders who demonstrate emotional intelligence and cultural alignment, not just technical skills.

Ensure that individuals who are not only high performers but also embody the values and culture of the organisation are given opportunities for advancement. Promotions should be based on a combination of skills, results, and alignment with organisational values like integrity, collaboration, and respect. It’s essential to recognise that leadership potential isn’t just about technical expertise or individual achievements; it’s also about emotional intelligence, the ability to motivate others, and fostering a positive work environment. By promoting individuals who model the behaviour you want to see in the organisation, you set a powerful example for others. These leaders help reinforce the culture, inspire their teams, and create a ripple effect that spreads positive behaviours throughout the organisation. Additionally, it’s important to ensure that promotion processes are transparent and fair, minimising bias and giving employees confidence that they have equal opportunities to grow based on merit and cultural alignment.

Measure Progress and Adapt

Cultural transformation isn’t a one-time effort; it requires ongoing attention. Regularly measure your progress. Be willing to adapt your strategies based on feedback and outcomes.

Employee Engagement Surveys

Employee Engagement Surveys are a vital tool for assessing the overall morale, satisfaction, and commitment of employees to the organisation. These surveys provide actionable insights into how employees feel about their work environment, leadership, job roles, and company culture. Key areas to explore include job satisfaction, clarity of expectations, work-life balance, opportunities for growth, and the presence of toxic behaviours. Regular engagement surveys allow companies to track trends over time, identify problem areas early, and make data-driven decisions for improvement. It’s important to ask both quantitative questions (e.g. rating scales) and qualitative ones (e.g. open-ended feedback) to get a holistic view of employee sentiments. The effectiveness of these surveys lies not just in collecting feedback, but in acting on it. When employees see that their responses lead to tangible changes, it fosters a sense of ownership and trust, increasing overall engagement and helping to build a positive, collaborative culture.

Retention Rates

Retention rates are a key metric for understanding employee satisfaction and the overall health of an organisation’s culture. High turnover can indicate deeper issues, such as poor management, lack of growth opportunities, or a toxic work environment. By monitoring retention rates, especially among high performers or in specific departments, organisations can identify trends and address underlying problems. For instance, if a particular team has a higher turnover rate, it could signal issues with workload, leadership, or team dynamics. Improving retention through better engagement, recognition, and work-life balance not only reduces recruitment costs but also helps maintain organisational knowledge and stability, creating a stronger, more cohesive work culture.

Conclusion

Transforming the culture of a large organisation takes time, but the rewards are worth the effort. By addressing issues head-on, you can create an environment where employees feel valued, connected, and motivated. Remember: culture isn’t just a top-down initiative; it’s shaped by everyone in the organisation. Lead the charge, and watch your workplace thrive.

What steps will you take to start improving your organisation’s culture today?