Knowledge of different organizational cultures is essential for any business, thus making it possible to align its strategies with its goals. Although diverse cultures exist, they can be summed up in four main models. Understanding these models allows you to choose the one that best fits your business and to identify the cultures of potential partner businesses. This article explores the four types of organizational cultures and shows how they can guide strategic decisions and improve performance.
Organizational culture is defined by transversal practices, shared by a group of people, that will guide collective results in the same direction. The type of culture adopted has a direct impact on an organization's ability to achieve its goals.
La Clan culture is very often developed in small structures or even family businesses. It is developed by creating an environment where interpersonal relationships are essential; teamwork, mentoring and the integration of new employees are emphasized. It is also possible to find this practice in large companies, by branch of activity, office, or teams.
The organizations Adhocratic will instead value innovation, risk taking and self-management. They encourage employees to become autonomous and encourage their creativity. The objective will then be to develop collective agility, in order to develop on the market quickly. Less hierarchical, these organizations are more often found in nascent companies or start-ups, whose resources are limited.
Les market cultures are focused on results and competition. The collective goal is to outperform the competition. Everyone's performance and efficiency are the main drivers, and every decision is aimed at achieving tangible results. These behaviors are visible in particular in companies covering or wishing to cover an impacting market share in their field of activity.
Les hierarchical organizations are characterized by a strict structure and rigid procedures. Stability and efficiency are paramount, and decisions are generally centralized. This type of culture is often perceived as bureaucratic, but it maintains order and ensures consistent execution of tasks. This operation is mainly found in administrations.
Each type of organizational culture has advantages and disadvantages. It is crucial to opt for practices that correspond to the goals of your business but also to the behaviors that you want and can obtain from your employees. A change in culture will not only be able to increase employee satisfaction and commitment, but also the overall performance of the company.
To intentionally create and transform your organization's culture, it's essential to:
Clearly identify the type of current culture: inform new employees of the entrepreneurial spirit in which they will have to integrate in order to ensure alignment between their expectations and the reality of the structure.
Define cultural beliefs: Establish goals and practices to be implemented and adopted in order to guide employee behaviors. This is done by setting up newsletters, internal communications, or even events between teams or at the level of the entire structure.
Do not hesitate to encourage and recognize the development of good practices: reinforce positive behaviors and thus the achievement of collective goals through positive feedback, in particular by sending personal messages to the members of a team with the best goals each month, but also by making portraits to be broadcast to everyone on the inspiring careers (sporting, cultural, associative) of certain employees stories.
Understanding and choosing the right organizational culture is therefore an essential strategic approach for any business. By clearly defining your shared goals and using communication tools tailored to value teams or employees who develop inspiring behaviors, you can create a culture that improves results and promotes employee well-being and engagement.