workplace culture: fad or strategic advantage?

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Emily Holland White Senior Director, Talent & Culture Optoro

Workplace Culture: Fad or Strategic Advantage?

© Optoro, Inc. 2016

Workplace Culture: Fad or Strategic Advantage?

WORKFORCE LIVE WEBINAR

Emily Holland White Senior Director of Talent & Culture, Optoro

INTRODUCTION

Optoro is a growth stage tech company

© Optoro, Inc. 2016 8

And we’ve been growing fast.

●  Background ○  Founded in 2010 ○  Headquartered in Washington, D.C. ○  160+ corporate employees and 100+ operational employees ○  Backed by Kleiner Perkins, Revolution, & Generation

Investment ○  $150+ million in funding to date

●  Where we were

○  In 2014, bogged down HR department with traditional approaches

○  For the past few years, have been doubling in size and facing unique organizational challenges

Polling Question

9

How would you categorize your company?

INTRODUCTION

“Company culture” -- a buzzword worth learning about



Not similar people, but rather, aligned vision and motivations.

Company culture is a shared way of doing something with a passion.

→ And it has the power to strategically position your business towards success.

INTRODUCTION

11

To build a house: How to strategically build your workplace culture

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Step 4.

Step 5.

Step 6.

Acquire your equipment Pour the foundation Stack the logs Get out your measuring tape! Avoid matches Inspect your home regularly

Step 1. Acquire your equipment

Get the tools, resources, and influence you need to begin

STEP 1. ACQUIRE YOUR EQUIPMENT

When you begin, you need influence. Here’s how to get it.


Listen.

Spend time with department heads to understand your business’s context and

needs.

Connect.

Build relationships and rapport across the organization to gain support.

Execute. Find a project where you can have

impact, and show that as proof of your capabilities.

→ Quick wins are powerful ways to build influence in developing company culture.

Polling Question

15

Has your company defined its core values? A. Yes, very clearly. B. Yes, but…(needs reevaluation, lacks focus, etc) C. No.

Step 2. Pour the foundation

Develop the framework of your culture that will support the rest of your work

At the 50-employee mark, you must establish a set of guidelines that will shape your hiring, guide your growth, and reinforce your vision.

STEP 2. POUR THE FOUNDATION

You need to create a cultural manifesto as the framework for your company culture.

Collaborative Resourceful Unconventional Sensible Hungry

Inspired Trustworthy

Quick Tips: ●  Make it inclusive and iterative ●  Do it sooner rather than later ●  Reinforce it daily


STEP 2. POUR THE FOUNDATION

Infuse your cultural manifesto into your day-to-day

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Step 3. Stack the logs

Create the core aspects of your culture as centered around employee engagement

Is your company currently measuring employee engagement? A. Yes, it is a top priority. B. Yes, but…( not a top priority, not effective). C. Not to my knowledge.

Polling Question

20


Employee engagement means the level of connection, motivation and commitment a person feels for the place they work.

The main tenet of a thriving workplace culture is employee engagement.

→ Employee engagement is a powerful strategic advantage. How do you ensure that your employees are engaged?

STEP 3. STACK THE LOGS

•  Greater retention

•  More effective recruiting

•  Higher productivity

•  More trust & autonomy

Higher Engagement

21


Break down employee engagement into more targeted focus areas. STEP 3. STACK THE LOGS

Leadership

Enablement

Alignment

Development

22


Train leaders to empower their employees closest to the information to act, and to communicate with transparency.


Leadership

Enablement

Alignment

Development

23


Make sure that people are equipped with the right tools and resources to do their jobs, from streamlined communication platforms to on-the-job training.


Leadership

Enablement

Alignment

Development

24


Assess whether you are communicating your mission, vision, and values in a way that every individual understands their own goals and those of the company.


Leadership

Enablement

Alignment

Development

25


Invest in the learning and growth of your employees, including internally sponsored trainings and professional development budgets.


Leadership

Enablement

Alignment

Development

26


●  Measuring employee engagement is how you can verify that you are effectively developing your company culture.

●  The data collected should guide your next steps and drive decision-making.

●  Only survey as much as you can act.

To ensure progress and direct your talent strategy, you should always be measuring engagement.

STEP 3. STACK THE LOGS

→ By investing in employee engagement, you will build a self-sustaining culture centered on your employees. And you will know how successful your culture strategy has been. 27

Step 4. Get out your measuring tape

Use data to ensure you’ve met your goals and are constantly improving


●  Disclaimer: Data is not always available. Even when it is, it can be messy, inconsistent, or inaccurate.

Data is the key to monitoring your culture-- but also influencing it. STEP 3. GET OUT YOUR MEASURING TAPE

●  And yet, data is your friend! And it is a core component of developing a robust workplace culture.

●  Opportunities to collect data: ○  Employee engagement ○  Performance check-ins ○  HR ticketing systems ○  Recruiting process ○  Possibilities are endless!

29


Interviewer Influence

Some examples of data in action STEP 3. GET OUT YOUR MEASURING TAPE

→ Data can create a culture of transparency and accountability, and that means data can start making your business cases for you.

Time to Fill Goals

30

Step 5. Avoid matches

Recognize and avoid common mistakes of companies building their culture


●  Trying to layer in processes to eliminate chaos ○  Instead, ask what the intention of the process is? Lightweight processes are often the

most effective. ●  Creating a uniform company culture and expecting people to fit the mold

○  Don’t forget about the sub-cultures that require unique management and support, eg. tech versus customer care.

Now, you have your house. Here’s how to make sure it doesn’t burn down. STEP 5. AVOID MATCHES

Common pitfalls of growing companies-- and how to avoid them.

32


●  Putting a premium on casualness at the expense of performance ○  A casual environment can confuse people who needs reminders that a professional

setting is where they need to perform. ●  Rushing to make a hiring decision because of pressure to fill the role

○  You need to feel comfortable letting critical positions stay vacant, as your objective first and foremost is to find the right person who can embody your culture.

Now, you have your house. Here’s how to make sure it doesn’t burn down. STEP 5. AVOID MATCHES

Common pitfalls of growing companies-- and how to avoid them.

33


●  Forgetting to communicate the levers that drive the business forward and how we make money ○  With a more aligned goal structure and increased communication, every employee

should be able to articulate how their role drives the business. ●  Placing too much value on loyalty and hard work

○  You need to be able to let these people go, as the performance of others suffers with someone who has not adapted to the changing company culture.

●  Believing that superficial perks and treats will improve engagement

○  Remember, exceptional colleagues trump everything. ○  Be authentic to your own culture; don’t have a ping pong table just “because.”

Common pitfalls continued... STEP 5. AVOID MATCHES

34

Step 6. Inspect your home regularly

Ensure that the company culture you built is relevant and valuable in the future


●  Luckily, it’s not so hard if you followed the steps. ●  Along the way, you have created a self-sustaining, thriving company culture driven by

employees who feel connected to the vision and are accountable to the data.

Company culture needs to change and grow as you scale. STEP 6. REGULARLY INSPECT

How do we ensure our company culture continues in the right direction?

36


●  With your influence: you can add important aspects of your organizational culture to your company scorecard

●  With your cultural manifesto: you can justify your hiring and firing choices, knowing that each decision will either reinforce or reduce your culture

●  With your engagement surveys: you can conduct surveys on the cadence that is appropriate, and always transparently show results

●  With your data: you can track and measure progress, and demonstrate impactful changes

With the tools and resources you’ve gathered, you can maintain and enhance your workplace culture.

STEP 6. REGULARLY INSPECT

37

In conclusion: Workplace culture is a powerful strategic advantage

Much more complex and dynamic than building a house. But by following these steps, you can succeed. Good luck!


Questions? Workplace Culture: Fad or Strategic Advantage?

Emily Holland White [email protected]


Seeded Questions

1.  How can we ensure engagement is consistent across departments?

2.  When building influence, what is the best way to foster relationships with senior management?

3.  How can we uphold the integrity of the data we collect?

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