Developing a positive and inspiring corporate culture is an essential lever for making an organization perform.

Decisive in attracting and retaining talent, a quality corporate culture also has a strong impact on employee engagement and the influence of the company on its customers.

But what does corporate culture consist of? What example of corporate culture should you choose based on your values?

We help you to take an overview of existing positive corporate cultures and to understand how to develop your own based on our advice and 6 examples of concrete and successful business cultures.

What is corporate culture?

Corporate culture or organizational culture concerns the specific characteristics of the functioning of a company that contribute to its identity.

It is developed from his values, his myths, his behavioral norms and gives him his personality.

Thanks to the vision it inspires, it brings employees together and helps them achieve their goals.

It is also the corporate culture which allows a company to differentiate itself from the competition and to make it unique.

What is the point of developing a corporate culture?

The main advantage of what could be considered a philosophy is to strengthen the cohesion of employees, the feeling of belonging and to facilitate the functioning of the company.

Corporate culture therefore logically makes it possible to increase performance and to spread a positive image both inside and outside the structure.

We therefore understand that creating a corporate culture with strong and inspiring values triggers a virtuous dynamic that leads to positive momentum, employees, partners, and in turn customers and prospects.

With the key to concrete benefits for the company:

• improved well-being: professional development in a caring environment increases motivation and productivity.
• increased commitment: the absenteeism rate and the number of occupational diseases then prove to be sharply decreasing, the achievement of objectives optimized.
• increased retention: this reduces turnover, which affects productivity and reduces the cost of recruiting new talent.
• increased productivity and turnover based on experience and innovation.

However, according to Gartner, 7 out of 10 HR managers believe that the culture developed in their company should evolve to fully match its vision.

What type of corporate culture should be put in place?

An organization has, in fact, the choice between different types of corporate cultures in order to develop the mode of operation that suits it.

Available in 8 options, these organizational cultures have different advantages and disadvantages.

Let's take stock to help you choose among all the cultures developed, the one that will best be established for your society in accordance with its values.

1. The culture of the clan or the culture of the fatherhood

Highly developed in small businesses and start-ups, clan culture involves an operation similar to that of a family with the presence of strong values.

The concept of hierarchy is less present, which creates a certain equality between staff members, who consider themselves to be part of the same family.

All employees receive the same respect, and communication between employees is generally informal.

Relationships between colleagues gain authenticity and promote long-term cohesion.

However, this type of corporate culture can lead to an overly relaxed working environment that is not conducive to employee engagement.

2. The culture of adhocracy

This corporate culture is based on challenge and innovation. It encourages employees to challenge each other to offer new offers and new services.

Encouraging innovation offers companies adopting this culture optimal conditions to distinguish themselves from the competition.

However, this approach can put some employees in trouble by requiring them to adapt to changes that are too frequent.

3. Hierarchical culture

The most traditional corporate culture, this method of business management involves very hierarchical relationships between staff members.

The organization chart is thus structured into senior managers, middle managers and employees, each assigned responsibilities in accordance with their status and experience.

Employers using this type of culture leave no room for risk and rely on respect for traditions to prevent mistakes and failures.

Depending on the sector of activity, a company adopting this culture can be very effective in achieving its goals.

However, this hierarchical principle lacks flexibility, which may not be appreciated by some employees looking for autonomy and initiative in their work.

4. The customer-centric culture

The members of these businesses strive to provide the best possible customer experience.

To do this, managers give them complete freedom to satisfy and retain customers. In this way, they actively contribute to the success of the company.

The great autonomy granted to employees to meet customer expectations gives their mission full meaning.

They are proud to work in a profession that fully satisfies consumers.

However, because the focus is exclusively on the customer, employees may feel forgotten in this type of corporate culture.

5. Market-centric culture

With the central objective of bringing products or services to the market, this corporate culture focuses on results and values work and competitiveness.

As a result, employers adopting this mode of operation pay less attention to the well-being of their employees.

The constant search for results with a constant watch on the market facilitates success in the face of competition.

But employees under this type of regime tend to be under constant pressure, which can more easily lead them to burn-out, or damage their mental health.

6. A culture based on an ideal where team spirit reigns

United around motivating values, employees of companies that have chosen this type of culture share a vision that leads them to contribute to the realization of it.

Their priority is therefore to do everything possible to ensure that the collective realizes the chosen ideal. Team spirit, trust and commitment have an absolute priority here.

The shared vision seduces company members, but also partners and customers.

This type of corporate culture is unifying and very attractive for employees. This organization therefore facilitates the hiring and retention of each employee.

However, the choice not to give priority to the realization of profits implies less profitability for the company, a fact that should not be overlooked in the contemporary world of work.

7. The culture of innovation and excellence

Innovative corporate cultures encourage the search for the latest ideas in order to respond systematically to market trends and customer wishes.

Using the latest technologies in their sector, they are constantly developing new solutions using the spirit of innovation.

This approach allows for experimentation and gives highly qualified employees a great deal of autonomy to develop new solutions and make decisions.

However, this permanent questioning of what exists implies a work environment where the pressure is considerable, which can cause exhaustion among employees.

8. Creative or horizontal culture

Here, the culture is collaborative and aims atoperational excellence.

All staff members work together and cooperate. Everyone is invited to share their opinion and experience on the management of new projects.

This type of company works as a team to unleash everyone's creativity and innovative spirit in order to offer everyone (employees and customers) an optimal experience.

The emphasis on communication and team collaboration strengthens relationships between employees, creating a stimulating and friendly atmosphere.

In these types of cultures, however, the creativity required can cause stress for staff, who may fear a lack of inspiration or not meeting requirements.

6 examples of a positive and powerful company culture

After reviewing the different forms of corporate cultures, it is relevant to discover how successful businesses have established successful business cultures.

A great way to move from theory to practice is to prove that many businesses can achieve impressive business results while maintaining a positive company culture with happy employees.

1. Google: a mix between a culture of innovation and a horizontal culture

Renowned around the world for its strong managerial culture, Google has chosen to put the creativity, innovation and well-being of its employees at the center of its process.

While it is known for offering its employees a fun workplace and a fulfilling environment (colorful premises, nap and game rooms, services), it also values individual successes, as well as team successes.

In recent years, this organization has won numerous awards, including the award for the best corporate culture and the award for happiness at work.

However, with a profit of 60 billion dollars in 2022, we can say that it is entirely possible for a large group to reconcile well-being at work and development goals.

2. Netflix: autonomy and responsibility at the heart of its culture

The operation of this company, which shines in the world of VOD, aims to stimulate the creativity of its employees.

To do this, it removed the traditional obligations imposed on employees that could constitute obstacles.

No authorization is required, everyone freely manages their presence and vacation days, as well as their expense reports with no limit.

This example of corporate culture is a real success, because in addition to this great freedom granted to its teams, the company has developed a culture based on trust and efficiency, as well as on taking responsibility and commitment.

Setting up an organization thus allows it to promote the commitment of its employees and to achieve its growth objectives in a caring environment.

3. Adobe: creativity and team spirit

Assigned as a team to specific projects, Adobe employees are encouraged to let their creativity and their taste for innovation speak for themselves.

However, HR takes care to provide them with support to help them succeed in their business project.

Teams can thus benefit from coaching from mentors to awaken their inspiration and support them in order to achieve their goals.

As we saw earlier, repeatedly soliciting a creative spirit on the part of your employees can be a source of stress.

Adobe was able to get around this problem by taking into account the psychological well-being of its employees thanks to its culture of peer support offering them a safe corporate environment.

4. Decathlon: an example of corporate culture based on the values of sport

Among the different types of cultures, this major sporting goods retailer has logically placed the values of sport at the heart of its management.

This company therefore values the spirit of initiative, collective intelligence, as well as a positive and responsible attitude.

Concretely, Decathlon has set up an internal organization that aims to federate its teams by organizing numerous Team building sportspeople.

In addition, the HR Department encourages self-improvement, by allowing everyone regular access to training to increase their skills and consider career development that enhances their experience.

The corporate culture adopted by this company, as well as its management strategy, allowed it to obtain a label attesting to the well-being at work of its employees.

5. Zoom: professional and personal well-being at the service of performance

However, the company, which grew exponentially during the pandemic, had already developed a strong and positive corporate culture well before.

Its credo: to motivate its employees and develop their commitment by allowing them to combine an efficient professional life and a fulfilling personal life.

To do this, Zoom offers its employees:

• maximum work flexibility by ensuring that its employees are equipped with the appropriate equipment to work from home
• an allowance for their sports practice
• an additional fund for their care.

All these measures have a significant impact on the quality of life of the company's many talents.

6. Michelin: a corporate culture based on human values of collaboration and caring

Among the 10 favorite companies of the French, Michelin also seduces its employees and keeps them loyal.

Her secret? A strong corporate culture, with human-centered management, focusing on the values of well-being and cohesion among its employees.

But, this result is also the result of a regular questioning of its processes, based on the feedback of its teams.

So, when in 2000, the company decided to adopt a production system inspired by Toyota, the result was not convincing.

The organization of work did not suit its employees with a significant decrease in the commitment of each team.

The company was then able to react and demonstrate innovation by organizing a seminar bringing together numerous Human Resources employees to develop a new management strategy.

At the end of this meeting, the group completely revised its team functioning based on the commitment of its employees, their taste for responsibility and freedom.

Group employees were thus invited to participate in the improvement of their working environment in certain factories.

Then, this experience was gradually generalized so that each team benefits from an adapted work environment.

The Michelin company has since decided to change its corporate culture to take into account the evolution of the expectations of its employees and has implemented HR training for its managers in order to adopt a more horizontal and collaborative team management.

Numerous other concrete measures have accompanied the evolution of this company's culture and values:

• encouraging collective intelligence by allowing all employees to speak up
  
• implementation of regular surveys to assess the well-being of employees at work, the motivation of employees and the commitment of each team.
  
• development of benevolent management with onboarding processes for new employees, access to an Individual Training Plan, as well as career development support aimed at promoting the experience of employees with seniority.

Note: as shown in this example, large companies can implement several types of corporate culture throughout their history.

It is therefore important for business leaders to stay informed of trends in corporate cultures and know how to make them evolve to meet the expectations of their team regarding their work environment, their desire for commitment and their personal development.

How do you create a powerful positive corporate culture?

Corporate culture is finally developing in many companies that understand its impact both on the well-being at work of their employees and on their own performance.

However, the establishment of a positive and adapted corporate culture requires a thorough study.

Here are the main steps to follow to make your selection among the different cultures in order to successfully define yours and implement it:

1. Take stock of the values of his company which are its essence and its raison d'être.
2. Opt for sincerity, by soliciting the participation of its employees to target the characteristics of its organization and develop a common culture that gives them full satisfaction.
3. Promote the history of the company by recounting its development from the birth of the idea to its success, without omitting the story of the difficulties encountered.
4. Seeking a professional coach can also help develop this culture and the management strategy consistent with it.
5. Share this culture and its essential values with its employees, its partners, and even with its customers. It should serve as a daily reference point. Broadcasted internally, it can be displayed in the office, given rise to rites and be mediatized during onboarding strategies to maximize everyone's engagement.

Developing a positive corporate culture and reconciling it with growth goals requires aligning the team of employees, establishing authentic communication and defining common goals.

The help of a executive coach Or of team leader coach makes it possible to grasp the unifying values of a company and to verify that these converge with the individual aspirations of employees, in particular with regard to the organization of their work and the improvement of their environment.

The VISCONTI business coaching accompanies you in the development and implementation of a corporate culture that is fully in line with your values and objectives.