By Craig Stone

Some leaders think that company cultures just happen as a result of the people in the organization and their values, work ethic, and how they treat people. Others feel that corporate culture can be consciously created. Management experts and company executives agree that corporate culture is one of the most the important aspects of their organizations, especially for recruiting and retention. It is also true that many people leading early stage companies today are caught up in funding, sales, operations, and product development & delivery. It can be done, however, as companies such as Google, and even local companies such as SAS and Motricity have created cultures that keep retention numbers high. Corporate culture may not account for all behavior of an organization, but inevitably it plays a key role. I repeatedly interview people that are looking to leave their current job or have left because they were unhappy with that organization’s culture.

What is Company Culture?

At its most basic, Company Culture is described as the personality of an organization, or simply as “how things are done around here.” It guides how employees think, act, and feel. Corporate culture is a broad term used to define the unique personality or character of a particular company or organization, and includes such elements as core values and beliefs, corporate ethics, and rules of behavior. Corporate culture can be expressed in the company’s mission statement and other communications, in the architectural style or interior décor of offices, by what people wear to work, by how people address each other, whether there is a foosball table and in the titles given to various employees.

Defining Your Company Culture

Using culture for recruitment requires identifying aspects of your company’s culture that make it different from other companies. In essence, you need to identify the unique beliefs, behaviors and practices of your company. A culture audit should provide the primary cultural attributes that set your company apart. These themes will probably not be completely positive. However, culture tends to evolve based on a past or current need, and it is usually possible to find ways to word each attribute in a way that highlights its advantages. Some good and bad aspects of common cultural attributes are:

• Adaptive vs. Reactive
• Clearly Structured vs. Bureaucratic
• Focused on Results, Evaluative or Competitive

Using this information, you should craft the message that best works and is consistent with your company and culture. This will differ from company to company but it is a great screening and qualifying device. If someone is not interested in rolling the dice, your message of big risk, big reward will not play well. But to the person who wants to live life in the fast lane, your big risk, big reward message is right on the money.

Improving Your Company’s Culture

A critical question you have to answer for candidate’s in today’s market is, “Why should I work for you?” Four of the strongest drivers motivating someone to take a job are: first, go with a winner second, big risk big reward, third, change the world, and fourth, lifestyle. It is a good idea to wear your company’s culture on your sleeve. Get it right out in front during the recruitment process. A common mistake in the hiring process selling a culture that does not exist which leads to distrust and ultimately turnover.

While competitive pay and benefits are crucial in order to attract better workers, the work itself is a primary attraction and retention tool. Adapt every professional job and workplace element so that all employees are:

• Working on interesting work
• Continuously learning
• Constantly challenged to do more
• Feeling that they are adding value

Finally, there is no blueprint for creating a corporate culture, but there are ways to shape a strong company culture that increases the chances of both keeping your highest performing employees and also hiring the best employees for your culture. It is one of the key elements to becoming and sustaining as an Employer of Choice.

Craig Stone is the founder and chief executive officer of HireNetworks, a provider of strategic recruiting, executive search, staffing and human resources services. Mr. Stone can be reached at (919) 981-6200 or by email at cstone@hirenetworks.com.

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