Of all the aspects of running a business or a company, team culture is one aspect that is quite difficult to grasp. Unlike productivity and profit margins, culture is intangible. There are no records of it that you can refer to nor measure it. It is generally unspoken and unwritten yet essential for any company that wants to succeed.

Team culture or company culture plays a big part in your company’s identity. It impacts how well your company performs and how the media perceives it. It is made up of the values, behaviours, beliefs, and attitudes shared by the team members. It’s how they treat each other on a daily basis. It’s how they approach challenges. It’s how they work with each other to achieve a common goal. And it can be both positive and negative. So yes, team culture can greatly affect whether your company will achieve success or completely fail.

What makes a team culture “good”?

Competitive companies are not only focused on attracting new customers but hiring top talent as well. Easier said than done. Offering big paychecks and fat bonuses is no longer enough to attract high performers. In fact, 46% of job seekers cite company culture as an important factor when applying for a job. So what makes a team culture “good”? Bean bags and a ping pong table in the office area do not automatically create a good team culture. As was mentioned before, culture is intangible. In general, good team culture is where team members freely share knowledge with each other, collaborate, openly communicate and support each other. It is all about the people and their attitudes. I would say that a good team culture all boils down to team members having positive mindsets. And having a positive mindset is the first step to achieving success.

Culture Defines Your Company Internally And Externally

Your team culture defines how your company interacts with other businesses, your customers, partners, and the media. How your team does things will create a ripple effect across all the other aspects of your company. If your team members love sharing ideas with each other, then chances are your company will be known for welcoming ideas from the customers. If your team is known for taking shortcuts, then the public will see your company as a company that provides subpar products and services. That’s the thing with culture. It spreads its influence over, in this case, your company. It represents how you do business and how the public perceives your company. Again, it can either be positive or negative and it all starts with you.