Most offices are similar. Each employee has a role, their boss offers direction, and a higher manager passes down further instruction. This assembly line-style ‘normative’ culture is often the most effective. Yet Regus research shows that 41 per cent of you feel that a lack of communication and involvement by the upper tiers of management might compel you to leave your job.
For the nonconformists among you, here's a run-down of five very different company cultures.
Academy culture
Businesses with academy cultures hire staff who are keen to improve, and run regular courses for employees. By investing in their staff, these companies make them feel valued and increase loyalty – our early 2011 study shows that 47 per cent of you believe that sharing knowledge and skills among staff members leads to a happier business culture. Academy cultures are found in environments where specialist knowledge is vital, such as hospitals, universities and research facilities.
Pragmatic culture
To a company with a pragmatic culture, the customer is king. Employees work to please clients, rather than bosses, and hierarchy comes second to service. Smaller creative companies with a wide variety of clients find this culture useful, as they can adapt their approach to each client. In the fast-moving financial services sector and in the creative industries, trusted employees can quickly meet clients' needs thanks to the freedom a pragmatic culture allows.
‘Tough guy’ culture
In ‘tough guy’ culture, employees are micro-managed every step of the way, and are told if their work is diverging from targets. For example, call centre workers are expected to keep to a script, and conversations are recorded to check protocol. This strictness isn't always bad – it’s particularly useful for companies that need consistent quality control.
Baseball team culture
Want your employees to care about the company? Then they need to feel valued. Modern tech brands believe that their most prized asset is their workers’ bright ideas, so they make them feel indispensable – like stars in a sports team. Flexible working hours, free meals and gym memberships are common in larger ad agencies as well as companies such as Google and Facebook.
Competitive culture
In a competitive culture environment, healthy employee competition is encouraged for the greater good of the company. In newspaper offices, reporters compete for the best stories, resulting in a better publication. In investment banks, traders compete for the top contracts, bringing more profit to the company. Strong managers are needed to ensure that rivalries remain productive – 7.8 per cent of you believe that aggressive competition between colleagues contributes to workplace stress.
Capitalise on culture: five set-ups for success
