This is a guide to the importance & best practices of company culture committees.
Company culture committees are a cross-functional group of employees responsible for promoting and driving the organization’s intended culture. This committee guarantees that the company considers employees’ perspectives when making decisions that affect them. However, this committee may influence but does not manage the company’s overall culture, and executive leadership still holds this responsibility.
The aim of this group is to implement culture committee ideas, plan culture building exercises, improve company culture and improve the working environment for employees. Culture committees are an example of employee engagement strategies.
This article contains:
- company culture committee definition
- company culture committee benefits
- company culture committee importance
- company culture committee best practices
- culture committee announcement
- culture committee meeting agenda
- culture committee goals
Let’s get right into it!
What is a company culture committee?
The company culture committee refers to members of cross-functional teams that debate, plan, and aggressively drive all aspects of organizational culture. As custodians of the company’s culture, the committee encourages employee participation and ensures the company’s core values and principles reflect in daily work experience.
Company culture committees show that companies are evolving, although companies that recognize the strategic importance of workplace culture have always promoted employee-driven initiatives. There is increasing evidence that strong corporate cultures have an advantage in the marketplace because they have more engaged workers. This research by Queen’s Venture Network examined over 110,000 employee engagement questionnaires over ten years and found that organizations with active cultures had up to a 30 percent higher level of customer satisfaction.
Culture committees have become the new tool for combating one of the most worrisome threats to corporate culture — stagnation. Workers from various departments may collaborate on committees. Therefore, every department in the organization can contribute ideas, play a part in the culture’s direction, and no one wields excessive power.
The importance and benefits of the company culture committee
The company culture committee can potentially be a driver of progress. Members work to identify, discuss, plan and expose issues pertaining to corporate culture. The committee’s size, objectives, and structure depend on the company’s size, budget, and employee engagement levels. The development of well-thought-out committees may have a tremendous impact on companies.
Some of the company culture committee’s importance include:
1. Represent diverse employees’ interests
A company will potentially become more diverse as it expands. If you are not speaking with different employees, it might be difficult to represent the demands of a broad group. Representation is a major consideration when forming committees. You can form the group using factors like gender, color, ethnicity, or any other demographic elements. The culture committees may help you better understand the broader audience’s feelings. The company culture committee importance includes:
- Act as eyes and ears: Members of the committee may act as your foot soldiers when it comes to hearing and seeing workers’ opinions about their work environment, their bosses, working conditions, and company objectives.
- Come up with fresh ideas. Employees frequently come up with the finest ideas. A culture committee is a systematic method for obtaining a steady supply of new and innovative ideas.
- Create a sense of community: Employees are more likely to accept change when they have a role in the decision-making process. Before implementing new procedures or regulations, a culture committee can help solicit opinions, suggestions, and commitments from the workforce.
Executive leadership is not always correct. Employees’ ability to adapt to organizational changes will get a considerable boost if they can get a grassroots perspective on these changes.
2. Ensure the progress of the objectives of the company’s culture
One of the company culture committee benefits is the progress of the culture’s objectives. Forming a company culture committee ensures that there are workers within the company, ensuring accountability. You can develop SMART objectives relating to corporate culture and share them with your committee members. After that, urge your staff to review your objectives and inquire about the promised deliverables.
For example, your committee can hold you accountable if your objective is to have six corporate culture events each year. If you fail to plan and hold these events annually, then you are deviating from your objectives. If you miss a target deadline, you may delegate responsibility for following through to your culture committee.
Also, the company culture committee may assist in developing business culture objectives. It seems reasonable that this group would assist with goal preparation, given that their committee would focus on culture. Either way, your organization will have a more positive culture.
3. Improve the company’s image and reputation
Company culture committees can be great when attempting to attract investors, hire new staff, and boost your company’s brand. Organizations with high regard for their employees are a big hit with job seekers. You will likely have a greater level of employee engagement than other firms in your industry. Generally, developing and promoting business culture committees will provide excellent results to your firm’s operations.
There are several other reasons why a corporation should have a culture committee. It will be easier to persuade the top brass to join the committee if you show them the advantages.
What are a culture committee’s roles and responsibilities?
An organization’s culture is evident in task execution and contributes to employee productivity. Thus, a culture committee may drive change in the senior leadership team by concentrating on the methods and approach to doing business. Here are a few examples of what a culture committee does for an organization:
1. Review and refine corporate values
All company’s actions stem from its basic values. These are the values that the firm aspires to uphold and their actions to achieve them. The committee has the authority to assess the degree to which the company’s workforce shares its current values.
2. Be a catalyst for change
The committee can make suggestions for improvements to their executive sponsor and their senior leadership team, even if they do not control corporate culture. Rather than only serving as a reservoir for employee sentiment, the committee members should serve as a “voice of the people” who actively works to dismantle obstacles to change.
3. Identify and acknowledge progress
The committee will celebrate progress towards their model culture every time they meet a minor objective. Team-building activities, birthday parties, and friendly contests amongst departments are all examples of ways to celebrate the small wins.
4. Support the company’s external image
A well-functioning culture committee can aid the recruiting process. A culture committee may significantly influence the applicants and onboarding experiences. When paired with additional indicators like revenue per employee or turnover, investors can use the work of a culture committee to evaluate the senior leadership team and the firm.
Simply put, these committees work for organizations that seek to build stronger relationships with their employees.
How to create a company culture committee
The following are key factors for creating a successful culture committee:
1. Representation
A Korn Ferry study shows that businesses that value diversity outperform their counterparts in terms of innovation and productivity. However, these employees must get a place at the table and on your committee if they are to make a real impact.
The company’s culture committee members should be as diverse as possible. Having a diverse representation on your company’s culture committee means including members from all levels of the business, regardless of position, tenure, seniority, or department. This system ensures every worker has a say, irrespective of their place in the company. You also need a diverse population in terms of age, color, and gender to create an inclusive and positive environment.
2. The goal
It is not only bake-offs and team-building activities that define an organization’s culture. A strong sense of purpose must drive all aspects of culture. Those objectives, in turn, should highlight the business’ needs. Furthermore, organizational culture committees must be goal-oriented. Every program or initiative from the committee must come from careful deliberation and thorough planning. The committee should have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the larger purpose of these projects, even if they are just for fun.
For instance, a community cleanup conducted by a committee might appear as another sanitation move to an outsider. On the other hand, the committee sees the community cleanup as a way to arouse a feeling of altruism and responsibility in the workforce. Therefore, workers will feel more connected to the firm and more likely to stick around.
3. Leadership participation
Company culture committees are crucial to ensure employee participation and enhance culture generally, but grassroots initiatives conducted entirely by workers can only go so far. These initiatives will not succeed unless a leadership team member offers support.
Leadership sponsorship is vital for a few reasons. When it comes to cultural projects, you will usually need a budget, however small. It is unlikely that your committee will get access to the company’s finances unless you have a member who works in finance and dares to undertake some creative accounting.
However, it is not only money that makes a difference in leadership support. The company’s culture committee members need to fulfill their work responsibilities. It is entirely up to members how much effort they put into preserving the corporate culture. Leadership support shows that the committee’s efforts are worthwhile. The support demonstrates acknowledgment that the committee’s jobs benefit the company’s culture.
4. Dedication
An organization’s culture committee’s output tends to be easier to notice than its input. By working themselves into the DNA of a company’s culture, the committee can influence processes, from team-building activities to the company’s basic values to even the onboarding. However, this situation requires significant time and effort.
As committee organizers, one of HR’s roles will be to clarify the time commitment required. Before joining, each member of the company’s culture committee should understand the level of dedication expected. There is no guilt in rejecting a candidate who is not a good match for the team. There will be limitations on what you can do if a committee member cannot put in the required effort and dedication.
5. Good policies and guidelines
Even if your committee comprises people who are really committed to promoting workplace culture, that dedication might mean little if they cannot bring new ideas to fit the culture committee meeting agenda. Even if you have a plethora of drivers who are eager to contribute to the development of culture, stagnancy is still a problem. The dynamism of fresh ideas and the sparkle of creative thought are the lifeblood of culture. If you want to maintain a healthy committee, you need regulations in place to prevent members from overstaying their tenure. This system will ensure new workers can join.
When putting up a committee, It is crucial to note that culture changes constantly. Of course, the committee’s efforts will play a role, but so will the natural course of events. In part, this is because the vitality of culture is constantly contingent on the company’s demands.
A company’s culture committee must thus be in constant communication with other employees to keep tabs on shifts in the culture’s demands. However, if your committee is well-equipped, it will ensure that culture flourishes.
Company culture committee best practices
If you have decided to launch your company culture committee, the following are best practices to consider:
1. Note the team’s demographics
You should know your team’s demographics before beginning a committee. This knowledge will ensure adequate representation. You can identify the demographics by sending out a survey.
This information from the survey will help you fill up your committee, as you will be able to notice any intriguing patterns. Be sure to take a closer look at your company’s diverse constituencies. A few examples include female managers, administrative personnel, long-tenured workers, and new hires, as well as ethnic groupings. Regardless of how you decide to strike the right balance, build a committee that represents your company. Also, avoid making this decision hastily.
It is important to have a committee with a wide range of experience so that your firm may benefit from the richness of ideas that come from a diversified range of perspectives.
2. Secure leadership support
A culture committee is doomed to fail unless it has the support of the company’s executives. A senior executive, such as the CEO or CHRO should sponsor the team. This executive should commit to discussing your results with the organization ongoingly, both officially and informally. Executive reports should include goals and successes. You should ensure that leadership is willing and committed to executing the change proposals.
3. Get volunteers
Volunteers are the best way to start a committee. You should look towards employees with a natural interest in improving the organization for their coworkers. After that, determine underrepresented voices based on your demographics. You should be ready to explain why you think the employee would be a good addition to the company culture committee.
While at it, you need to create a detailed explanation of the culture committee goals and responsibilities. The document needs to include details like the committee member’s tenure, selection criteria, and meeting times. Employees may fill out this form to show their interest in the company’s programs. You should let your employees know about this opportunity. You can also make culture committee announcements during meetings to keep employees aware.
4. Work with other departments
Other company departments should get regular updates while you search for volunteers. Focusing on culture from a leadership standpoint is great, but it can also hinder gaining participation from other employees.
After deciding to form a committee to address corporate culture issues, talk to other executives about how they would want to participate.
5. Have a budget
Businesses must contribute to cultural activities financially. A committee is just the beginning of your quest. Your committee will not accomplish much if it lacks the resources to make the necessary changes. The committee needs a budget to hold a few activities over the year. It is possible to stretch a small budget to meet budgetary constraints. For example, a lunch party to celebrate wins or achievements.
Supporting corporate culture should not need going bankrupt. You may, for example, assign your committee a $500-$1,000 budget for each of the three quarters. Then, your team will be able to create a simple activity for each quarter for your staff. The committee should focus on events that will have the most impact on the company’s culture.
6. Establish a process and draft a charter
You can get a template online to outline the committee’s purpose and how it will work. Determine the length of each member’s tenure and the procedure for adding and removing committee members. The terms and conditions should be in writing.
As soon as your charter is in place, you should document your committee’s objectives and the process of communicating processes with your executive sponsor. As a committee member, you should be reporting to your sponsor at least once a quarter, if not more often. You want your committee’s update to be in the official leadership update as a reminder.
7. Embed the committee in your operating system
The firm should run on a well-structured and well-run operating framework. The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is an excellent example. As the name suggests, the Entrepreneurial Operating System is a combination of principles and tools that enables entrepreneurs to achieve their business objectives while also enhancing the lives of folks the company touches. The EOS helps to embed the culture committee in the operating framework and ensure its operations conform to the same standards, including the committee’s objectives, meetings, and strategy.
The company culture committee needs to keep its system updated and make necessary adjustments over time. Using these best practices, you may make the committee a huge success for your company.
Conclusion
A company must not only focus on making a profit but also on doing good for other people and the environment. With the strength of your workplace culture, you may align your business’s short and long-term objectives. Your company’s success may help your community and the globe at the same time by promoting volunteerism or encouraging the growth of your local economy. Regardless of how you and your cultural committee decide to meet the company’s goals, make sure it resonates with your company’s entire culture and values.
For more resources, check out this list of company culture books and the importance of employee recognition.
Grace He