NURTURING COMPANY CULTURE: A LOVE STORY - HELPING TO MAKE YOUR COMPANY A GREAT PLACE TO WORK
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Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 1
Nurturing
Company Culture:
A Love Story
Helping to Make
Your Company
a Great Place to WorkNurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 2
Introduction The ARTICLES
3 // Culture’s Most
Welcoming a new employee into your company is the Important Ingredient
beginning of a relationship. And like any relationship,
Guest blogger Susan Piver shares her
we show new employees our best face and then we
insight on how it is relationships—
hope that when the bloom is off the rose, they will not perks—that really drive a
love and not leave us. great culture.
The success of that relationship is entirely dependent on the 6 // 8 Cognitive Biases That Will
atmosphere we create for them to work in. Are you building a Make or Break Your Culture
supportive culture of appreciation, or is your office space seething
Some advice for managers on how
with bitter undercurrents?
to sidestep dangerous pitfalls in our
This collection of some of our most popular blog posts will offer thinking.
you some constructive advice and actionable tips on how you can
10 // The Science of
build a company culture that will inspire passion and commitment
from your employees.
Gratitude and Well-Being
This article unpacks the proven
benefits scientists have discovered
from having happy employees.
14 // 5 Tips to Create
Happier Employees
How can you make your employees
happier? Here are five tips.Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 3
Culture’s Most
Important Ingredient
By Susan Piver, Guest Blogger
I once worked at a super hip downtown NYC
entertainment company as manager of a new division.
Before you reached our floor, you could hear the
music booming from the lobby. Upon getting off the
elevator, you might have wondered if the receptionist
was going to take your name or offer you a cocktail.
When you walked to your office, you might It was also the unhappiest place I ever Scratching the surface of this super
see a fashion model or the next Jay-Z. We worked. Despite the trappings, the space luxe, ultra groovy, majorly happening
had our own enormous health club, which was filled with discomfort, condescension, environment, you found the real culture:
was probably the most sophisticated and arrogance. Weekly meetings to discuss aggressive and fearful.
workout space below 23rd Street. We had new ideas were stiff and agonizing and
three spa-like treatment rooms and every feedback was based on indeterminate and While the most interesting, forward-
single employee got a weekly 30-minute seemingly capricious measures. No one thinking companies place great emphasis
massage. When you told people who your wanted to take any chances so of course on culture, efforts often focus on
employer was, they were jealous. Everyone there was no innovation. The gym was appearances or management theories
wanted to come to our parties. empty because no one wanted to risk rather than on the creation of honest
being seen in less than perfect shape. relationships that create actual community.
People were always trying to palm off their
massages, because we were too scared
to stop working and we just wanted to
get out of there.
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 4
A quick Google search on “how to
create a great corporate culture” reveals
these suggestions from the likes of Inc.,
Forbes, and HBR:
• Invite people to throw wadded-up pieces
Some of these may be really fantastic ideas,
of paper at you when you say something but they won’t ensure you a great culture.
wrong in a meeting.
• Work in a big open space where no one
has a personal chair or work surface or
continually rearrange where people sit. Some of these may be really fantastic ideas, feel engaged when they are acknowledged.
but they won’t ensure you a great culture. Acknowledgement doesn’t mean praising
• Post a corporate dream map to inspire or agreeing. It simply means taking an
people forward. At best, they set the stage for great interest in the other person’s point of view
culture to (hopefully) arise and at worst, and offering a clear response. If you find it
• Instill camaraderie by making people run they are unsustainable gestures meant praise-worthy, an interesting conversation
up and down steps to show them what it to game culture rather than create can arise. If you find it off-target, a different
is like to do their best. something genuine. interesting conversation can happen.
If it makes you angry, upset, delighted,
• Know your “wow factor.” In my experience, when people talk about or confused—these too can be interesting.
what a great place their company is, they Nothing is off limits and people feel
•
Make it hard for people to get a job don’t usually mention fun outings or office trusted and appreciated.
there by telling them how much will be design. They don’t even mention money.
expected of them that they’re probably They talk about how engaged they are. Openness and trust may or may not
not up to, so when you hire them, they’ll How much they are learning. How proud be your cup of tea—but if you want to
work extra hard to prove themselves. they are to have a seat at the table. People innovate, if you want creativity, if you
feel engaged not when they are agreed want breakthroughs, you are going to
• Work on the beach; take singing lessons with, but when they are listened to. People have to develop a taste for them. Without
together; install a bell to ring when a
sale is made; help people get more
sleep; have fun games, snacks,
and surprising furnishings.
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 5
openness and trust, you will only get But if you want to create a workplace Engagement is what leads to a culture that
defensive turf-protection rather than bold that changes people’s lives and the way is vital, innovative, and invested in absolute
new thinking. Openness and trust don’t business is done, that leads to products success. It is personal, it is human, and it
come from running up and down steps or and services that are mind-numbingly is genuine. After all, these are the values
throwing wadded-up pieces of paper. They innovative and powerful, culture can’t be a leading-edge companies espouse for their
come from connecting, person to person, device. It has to be lived. For it to be lived, marketing campaigns and they take root in
over and over, and sustaining that you’re going to have to open your heart the way we treat each other. So keep those
connection when there is agreement and to the people around you and engage singing lessons and massages coming, but
when there is confusion. both their intelligence and their confusion try to make authentic relationships
with equal confidence. with the actual humans you work
When we say we want to create a flourishing with along the way.
corporate culture, we each have to ask I believe that as we go forward, we will see
ourselves if this is really what we mean. If that success belongs not to the cleverest Described as “a deeply intuitive and
“culture” is a device we are employing on or the most charismatic but to those who innovative thinker,” guest blogger Susan Piver
the quickest route to success and profits, know how to care. To connect . To extend is a speaker, thought leader, and New York
no problem. Just recognize it for what it themselves authentically. Thus your ability Times best selling author who has devoted
is. Hopefully, you will end up with a good to create culture is not so much about what her life to creating techniques that solve
reputation and a lot of money. you say or how you design your space. It is the problems of communication at work. In
about who you are. 2011, she founded The Open Heart Project, a
worldwide mindfulness community with over
ten thousand members.
Engagement is what leads
to a culture that is vital, innovative, and invested in
absolute success.Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 6
8 Cognitive Biases That Will
Make or Break Your Culture
By Darcy Jacobsen
In HR we often rely on common sense. But there By understanding cognitive
is a dark side to common sense that HR needs to biases, you can both protect
stay aware of. Sometimes our instincts will steer us against them, and sometimes
the wrong way. Behavioral psychologists call this use them to your advantage.
“cognitive bias”. It will affect perceptions, it will affect
objectivity, and it will affect relationships—in both
positive and negative ways. That makes it very relevant
to culture management and to you. Cognitive biases are something most of qualifications, better looking people are
of us cannot avoid. But once you know hired more often.
how to spot them, you can see them all
around you. They are the instinctive leaps This little bit of everyday irrationality—
our minds make—our gut reactions and caused by patterns in our memory, our
things we “know”, though we’re not sure need to rationalize what we see, and the
how we know them. Scientists believe they human desire to build patterns out of
are a relic of evolution: little shortcuts information—is a sort of shorthand of the
programmed into our minds to help us brain that distorts reality and causes flaws
process faster. But they sometimes lead us in our judgment.
just as quickly to the wrong conclusions.
You can see, therefore, how spotting
Here’s an example: Under the “Halo Effect” and understanding cognitive bias in your
bias, we tend to lump together positive own thinking is a very useful skill for HR.
qualities, and assume where one attractive But even more useful is identifying and
quality exists, others also exist. This is why managing them when they are affecting our
we often assume that attractive people are organizational culture. By understanding
also more talented, more competent, or cognitive biases, you can both protect
more cooperative than their less attractive against them, and sometimes use them to
counterparts. This bias is why, regardless your advantage.
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 7
Here are eight common cognitive biases you might
want to look out for in your organization:
The Bandwagon Hyperbolic The Ingroup
Effect Discounting Bias
People tend to go along with what When presented with two similar rewards, People naturally polarize into groups.
other members of a group are doing. people show a preference for the one that This bias means people tend to view
(Also known as the Herd Mentality.) arrives sooner rather than later. “their” group as better, while outsiders are
collectively viewed as inferior.
What it means to you: If you can get the (To test this, ask around your office
“herd” going in the right way, or give whether people would prefer $50 now or What it means to you: To avoid the
the perception that it is moving that way $75 a year from now—or how about $100 negativity, competition and roadblocks
by gaining influential champions for five years from now? Studies have shown associated with polarization, do what you
your projects, you have a better chance that overwhelmingly people will take can to homogenize, tear down silos and
of gaining participation throughout the money now, because they perceive make your company feel like it is one big
your organization. a greater value.) People—and indeed group, not a collection of fiefdoms or
animals—have been proven to discount opposing teams.
the value of a later reward by a factor that
increases with the length of the delay.
What it means to you: When providing
recognition and rewards that you wish to
make a strong impact, be sure to deliver
those awards quickly, so that they are in
hand while their impact is strongest—
as close as possible to the event that
inspired them.
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 8
The Confirmation Mere-Exposure The Negativity
Bias Effect Bias
People tend to ignore information which People tend to develop a preference for People pay more attention to and give
does not fit with their beliefs while they things merely because they are familiar more weight to negative rather than
weigh agreeable information more heavily. with them. positive experiences and information.
What it means to you: This is a great bias to What it means to you: By increasing What it means to you: This bias is why
remember when performance review time frequency of exposure to a concept within the “feedback sandwich” has grown in
rolls around. Managers will be creating your organization, you will have a better popularity. While sandwiching criticism
evaluations that fit with their beliefs chance of increasing acceptance and even within praise is somewhat controversial,
about employees, and possibly discarding preference for that concept. For example, there is no doubt that increased positive
critical information. Make sure you repeated exposure to company values can interactions within your organization can
provide managers with as much diverse, help to ingrain those values in the hearts help counteract this powerful and morale-
crowdsourced data about employee and minds of employees. killing bias.
performance as possible, to avoid a single
point of failure around this bias.
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 9
System The Spacing
Justification Effect
People will defend and prefer the status Information is better recalled if exposure to
quo, seeing it as better, more legitimate, it is repeated over a longer span of time,
and more desirable than new alternatives. rather than occurring only once or grouped
together in time.
What it means to you: This bias intensifies
when a system is under threat and explains What it means to you: This means that
why change often comes hard within your initiatives should be focused on long-
organizations. People have a cognitive bias term, iterative campaigns and programs
that prefers the system they already have. to induce change, with many “touches”
Sensitivity to this bias when implementing to encourage learning and information
change is critical. Be sure you account for retention, rather than one-time, “big-bang”
this natural resistance, give employees events, awards or announcements.
a chance to air their concerns, and offer
assurance and strong evidence to support
planned changes in your organization.
Look for ways to spot and
eliminate these biases with in your
organization and keep your culture
strong and positive.Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 10
The Science of
Gratitude and Well-Being
By Darcy Jacobsen
Regularly expressing gratitude is amazingly good for
us—and by extension our workplaces— in more ways
than we might realize.
Gratitude comes in many forms. Here’s the evidence:
Researchers of gratitude define it as:
“an emotion which occurs after people Gratefulness Increases Emotional
receive aid which is perceived as costly, Well-Being
valuable, and altruistic,” or “an emotion
that (is) directed towards appreciating A 2007 study published in the Journal
the helpful actions of other people,” or of Research in Personality found that
even “appreciation of one’s abilities, or “gratitude is uniquely important to
of a climate in which such successful well-being and social life.” That study
work (is) possible.” showed a relationship between gratitude
and well-being that was independent
No matter how one defines it, one thing of personality factors (extraversion,
is clear, feeling and expressing gratitude neuroticism, openness to experience,
yields side benefits for our emotional and conscientiousness, or agreeableness), and
physical well-being. For your employees, proved that over time gratitude leads to
this can translate into: lower stress and depression and higher
levels of social support. The authors of the
• A more positive workplace study call for therapists to employ gratitude
• Happier, more optimistic employees as a clinical tool, saying: “giving people the
• Lower stress skills to increase their gratitude may be as
• Better teamwork beneficial as such cognitive behavioral life
• A culture of helpfulness skills as challenging negative beliefs .”
• Lower absenteeism and better
physical health
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 11
Grateful People Get Along
Better with Others
A paper published in 2009 in the Clinical
Psychology Review by researchers from
Hofstra and several UK universities
claims that people who express gratitude
are more extroverted, agreeable, open,
conscientious, and less neurotic. The Grateful People Sacrifice
study suggests that gratitude is associated for the Greater Good
with habitual positive well-being and a
wide variety of adaptive personality traits In a study published in 2010 in the American
conducive to developing and maintaining Psychological Association Journal Emotion,
positive relationships: researchers found that “gratitude functions Grateful People Sleep Better
to enhance cooperative as opposed to
“Grateful people were less angry and selfish economic behavior.” Even when A 2012 study from a group of Chinese
hostile, depressed, and emotionally dealing with strangers, and no prospect of researchers looked at the combined effects
vulnerable, (and) experienced positive reciprocity, the subjects who were grateful of gratitude and sleep quality on symptoms
emotions more frequently. Gratitude was made their decisions based on what was of anxiety and depression. They found that
also correlated with traits associated with good for the group—even when it was higher levels of gratitude were associated
positive social functioning; emotional against their individual interest. Gratitude, with better sleep, and with lower anxiety
warmth, gregariousness, activity seeking, the researchers argued, had a direct and and depression. Those results were echoed
trust, altruism, and tender-mindedness. positive influence on judgment. in a study by the University of Manchester.
Finally, grateful people had higher Sleep, in turn, has been linked with things
openness to their feeling, ideas, and values like improved memory, healthier weight,
(associated with humanistic conceptions lower stress, and higher levels of creativity,
of well-being, and greater competence, stress and attention.
dutifulness, and achievement striving.”
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 12
Grateful People Achieve More Grateful People Are Less Aggressive correlates with better exercise habits,
and encourages us to take better
A study by researchers from the University At the University of Kentucky, some care of our health.
of California asked subjects to keep a daily students in a study received praise for
journal of things they were grateful for. their writing, where others got a scathing Gratitude can also aid in recovering more
Two other groups kept journals of daily evaluation. Next, students played a quickly when you have health issues. In a
annoyances or general daily observations. game against the person who’d done the study of organ recipients, scholars from
Those assigned to keep the gratitude evaluation, in which they could blast them UC Davis and the Mississippi University
journals showed significant increases in with white noise. In general, the insulted for Women found that patients who keep
determination, attention, enthusiasm and writers retaliated with loud blasts of noise. journals of their appreciation scored better
energy, when compared to the two other But among those insulted writers, some on measures of mental health, general
groups. Likewise, in a study published had been instructed to write essays about health and vitality than those who keep
in the Journal of Happiness Studies, things for which they were grateful. Those only routine notes about their days.
researchers surveyed 1,035 high-school students who had written about their
students and found that the most grateful gratitude were less likely to blast noise at
had more friends and higher GPAs. Even their critics. “Gratitude is more than just
athletes benefit from gratitude. feeling good,” says Nathan DeWall, who
led the study. “It helps people become less
Grateful People Pay It Forward aggressive by enhancing their empathy.”
In one 2006 study conducted at Grateful People Are Physically Healthier
Northeastern University, researchers
sabotaged participant’s computers and At the University of Connecticut,
had a “helpful observer” jump in to help. researchers found that gratitude has a
Afterward, the students who had been protective effect against heart attacks.
helped were more likely to volunteer to According to expert Robert Emmons of UC
help someone else with an unrelated, and Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center,
time-intensive, task. In this study, gratitude it also strengthens the immune system,
was shown to be far more powerful than lowers blood pressure, reduces symptoms
simply inducing a good mood. of illness, increases resistance to pain,
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 13
Grateful People Are More
Resilient to Trauma
Studies of Vietnam War veterans have Researchers at the University of author of the Kent State University study.
shown that gratitude is significant in Pennsylvania had similar results when “It helps us express and enjoy, appreciate,
helping people to maintain emotional well- they asked subjects to write and personally be thankful and satisfied with a little
being after traumatic life experiences. deliver a thank you letter to someone effort. We all have it, and we need to use it
who had never been properly thanked to improve our quality of life.”
It turns out that expressing gratitude in for his or her kindness. Subjects had a
writing also has powerful benefits. In huge and immediate increase in their
a study at Kent State, Professor Steve happiness scores. This impact, said
Toepfer examined the effects of writing researchers, was greater than that from any
letters of gratitude on happiness, life other intervention, with benefits lasting
satisfaction, and depression. Said Toepfer: for a month.
“The more letter writing people did, the
less depressive symptoms they had. They In addition to all of this, it appears that
improved significantly on happiness and grateful people have better love lives. =)
life satisfaction. By writing these letters – 15
to 20 minutes each, once a week for three All of this just goes to show that being
weeks to different people – well-being thankful and appreciative, and making
increased significantly.” opportunities—for yourself and for your
employees—to feel and express gratitude
are investments that pay off exponentially.
“We are all walking around with an amazing
resource: gratitude,” said Steve Toepfer,Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 14
5 Tips to Create
Happier Employees
By Darcy Jacobsen
Did you know that happier workers help their
Employee happiness has become an
colleagues 33% more often than unhappy ones? Offer Meaning
Happy employees also achieve their goals 31% more
often, and are 36% more motivated in their work. This
important and growing business concern
over the past few years, as more and 1 and Alignment
more companies recognize the benefits
is according to joint research from the Wall Street of having not just satisfied and engaged People want to feel like they are part of
Journal and iOpener Institute. employees—but also employees who are something bigger than themselves—
happy and in good moods. Health, safety, whether it is the team, the company or
productivity, absenteeism, customer the community at large. Some employees
service, profitability—it seems there is actively search for companies that have
not a business metric out there that is not strong values and give back to society.
impacted by how happy your people are. For many employees meaning is as
simple as a desire to be aligned with the
Here are 5 things to consider as you company goals and mission, and to feel
try to build a happier workforce in your like a valued member of a team. A study
organization: conducted by researchers at the University
of Alberta found that companies who
focused employees on the meaning and
purpose in their work experienced a 60%
drop in absenteeism and a 75% reduction
in turnover.
People want to feel like they
are part of something bigger
than themselves—whether it
is the team, the company or
the community at large.
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 15
“Think about those intense work times
2 Provide
Opportunities
when the team is all pulling together and
its total focus on creating something
for Success and amazing keeps team members working
Personal Growth after midnight. A lot of those happiness
boxes are ticked off in those heroic times:
According to recent research by SHRM, Feeling like you’re progressing toward a
growth and professional development is
among the top demands of job seekers
goal, feeling optimistic; feeling like you’re
part of something bigger than the day- 3 Encourage
Gratitude
in the U.S. labor force. Likewise, a to-day work; and feeling like you’re being
CornerstoneOnDemand claims that one of supported and supporting others. Those For years, studies have shown that
leading causes of employee dissatisfaction are legendary times at a company, and recognized employees are happier and
and turnover is a feeling of stagnation or notice that people are sustained through more motivated to succeed. But a growing
a disconnect with company goals. That them, hour by hour, by the conviction and body of research—as well as a terrific new
study also reports that in the past year, only affirmation that they are making progress book by Wharton School professor Adam
1/3 of employees have received training toward the goal. Happiness comes both Grant—shows that the employees who
and development opportunities, and from the end goal and making progress.” are giving recognition and reward may
two-thirds of employees aren’t receiving be benefiting as much or more from a
adequate feedback or recognition. recognition moment than their colleagues.
As Eric Mosley writes in The Crowdsourced It turns out, giving people the opportunity
Performance Review: to express gratitude is also amazingly
good for thier health, productivity and
happiness at work. In fact, our latest
Mood Tracker report, which we’re
currently putting together, shows that
employees who are enabled to recognize
one another are significantly more likely
to say they are highly engaged than those
who are not able to recognize one another.
More on this next month!
co n ti n u e d >Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 16
4 5 Create
Trust
Build Many experts argue that one of the
Flexibility single biggest contributors to employee
happiness is simply creating a culture
According to Career Bliss, companies of trust within your organization. This
who see the biggest jumps in employee means not only your workers’ trust in
happiness are those who, among other leadership, but also in one another. And
things, emphasize great work-life balance. that trust is a two way street. A recent
Research by Georgetown University and study conducted by Harvard University
the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation confirms the showed that enhancing trust and employee
importance of flexibility in driving worker commitment creates an environment that Make sure these five key
happiness, with 80% of employees saying fosters happy, committed, productive components are prospering
they would be happier with more flexible team members. “Workplaces that
in your organization, and the
work options. Of those workers who provide positive environments that foster
already have flexibility at work, 90% said it interpersonal trust and quality personal
dividend is sure to pay off
eased the burden of work-life balance. relationships create the most committed in smiling faces and better
and productive employees,” said Nancy business results.
Etcoff, Ph.D., the lead researcher on the
study. Maintain an open, multilateral
dialogue within your organization,
help employees to understand and
contribute to the big picture, and above
all, be sure that leaders are honest and
accountable for decisions.Nurturing Company Culture: A Love Story 17
Interested in building a happier and more
effective culture in your organization?
download thE whitE PaPEr
WHITE PAPER
The science of
happiness
The Science of Happiness
How to Build a Killer Culture in Your Company
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