Maintaining What You Have

If you’re part of a chain, your Organizational culture has been defined for you. But, that doesn’t mean the culture is being followed or lived at your Location or by your different Teams.

To maintain what exists, we recommend the below practices.

Source & Hire

One way to reinforce your culture is to make sure you source and hire people who already possess the attitudes/behaviors you desire or who are willing to embrace your behaviors and beliefs.

Once you’ve defined what your culture is, use that in hiring…

• Go beyond job tasks in your job descriptions and job postings and mention the “type” of employee you want. The characteristics, these are the attitudes and behaviors described above. A candidate will better understand what you are and are NOT looking for.
• Formulate Behavioral Interviewing questions which are drawn from your culture to understand how a candidate would react in crucial situations.

Communicate & Teach

People won’t automatically know what your culture is, it needs to be taught in a structured way as part of a complete training program. In fact, unless you’re hiring people in their first job ever, you’ll do a lot of un-training behavior that is not in alignment with your culture.

It is all about getting people to embrace and demonstrate your culture’s behaviors and beliefs.

All Cast Members (employees) who are hired to work in the Walt Disney Company Theme Parks first attend a class called Traditions. Traditions focus on delivering the customer experience the Disney way. You clearly learn the Disney culture as a foundation before you even learn the tasks of your job. Because, no matter what your job duties are – it is to be done the Disney way.

Live It

Culture isn’t a gimmick or something for new or unseasoned employees it is for *every* single employee in a company. It is especially important for anyone in a leadership role to live the culture in all of their actions and behaviors.

It has to be genuine. Remember, we said it is like a cult. It is easy to spot a faker.

Promote, Reinforce, Recognize, and Reward

Recognize when people are doing a good job – when they are demonstrating model culture behavior. Reinforcing good work, makes more good work. Co-workers see the boss reward or promote that model employee, and themselves begin to act more like that employee.

Alternately, be sure to correct properly when people behave outside of the culture. Let them know how they should have done it the right way. Let others know the right way, so the wrong way doesn’t become a habit or a standard.

Letting people get away with doing things wrong – for whatever your excuse may be – only lets others know that “wrong” behavior is permitted.

Measure & Refine

Keep watch on how things change. If something isn’t working, adjust. If something is specifically working well, keep at it. Like flying an airplane, while you may take off with compass precision aiming at your destination, forces will push you off course as you make your way. Keep correcting your course.