What is the Business Culture in your Company?

Every Company has a dominant Business Culture. A specific and original culture focused on some areas, aspects and functions of the business.

This culture comes first from the personality and background of the Founder, the Owner, the CEO or the Managing Director. Then it is the product of the organization’s history, of the top management team and shareholders, of their policies, views, opinions, interactions, styles, decisions.

Each Business Culture creates its specific vocabulary, jargon, its perception, logic and understanding of the environment and key drivers of the business.

Some examples ...

Some cultures and organizations are very oriented towards Sales. Everything is about selling. The sales people are the kings, they hold the truth. Everything is organized to respond to their demands and requirements. Sales are perceived to be the essence of the Company’s success.

Other cultures focus on Marketing. On-line, offline, exhibitions, events, advertising, communication, product marketing...

Other Companies are Technology based...Research, training, licences, patents, conferences, expertise, latest releases....

Others on Manufacturing, how to optimize the assets, the plants, the machines, the overall effectiveness and uptime, the maintenance,...

Others on Quality, are obsessed by high standards of product an/or service quality

Others on Operations, Innovation, Logistics...

The variations are infinite...

Most commonly though, Business Cultures are driven by Financials. They talk the shareholders’ and banks’ language and have become compulsory. The Finance Guys are in charge... Margins, ROI, Costs, Cash, EBITDA, Capital Employed, Bottom line... They are the ones who give the pace...

All these areas, competences and functions are totally useful to the company’s performance.

Each of the cultures and expertise bring something crucial and vital to the business...

But they also have possible excesses and drawbacks...

The role of the Top Management is to create a balance

between all these departments, cultures and areas. It is to arbitrate between them to efficiently and flexibly drive the business to growth and success.

A Company’s Business Culture is of great importance: it has created its past and present performance and achievements. It has built what the company has become today.

But the questions might be: 
Is our Business Culture still relevant and effective today? Is it adapted to tomorrow’s challenges?

Is the Top Management's arbitrage performing? 

What Business Culture is dominating your business at the moment?

Is it really 100% useful to the company's health and growth?

Or

Are there any drawbacks you would like to point out?

What changes would create value or generate new opportunities for the future?