Expert Barracks or kindergarten "Camomile"?

Corporate culture is always a copy of the founder’s personality, along with his fears, ambitions and habits.

You can’t feel the culture, but you can hear it when you enter the office. In one company, it smells of light jitters and expensive perfume, in another - despondency and cheap tea.

• If everyone is willing to openly admit their mistakes and work together to find a solution, that is culture.
• If it is customary to cover each other's joints in front of a "dumb boss" and hide cash gaps under the carpet - this is also, unfortunately, culture.

Culture is formed by itself, spontaneously.

It needs to be managed or it becomes a weed.

American researchers Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn identified four types of corporate culture.

We will analyze them on specific examples and find out what is growing right now in your office - dandelion field medicine or horseradish.

Clan culture (“Family”)

In such a company, everyone is friends, celebrate birthdays and know the details of everyone’s personal life. The owner here is the “father” (or “mother”), who takes care of everyone, chides for mistakes, but always forgives.

Frequent financial token:

Salaries are often paid on the principle: “Dunyasha needs help, she has a mortgage,” rather than the result.

Pluses

High loyalty, mutual support. People are willing to recycle for free in difficult times "for an idea."

Cons

Complete blurring of personal boundaries and responsibilities. Attempting to implement KPI is perceived as a personal betrayal: “How can I be fined for a missed deadline?” We baptized your cat!

Outcome

Businesses grow on enthusiasm first and then get stuck in relationships.

Adhocracy ("Pirate Ship")

A culture of chaos, creativity and constant assault. There are no job descriptions, regulations and clear plans. Today we sell gingerbread, tomorrow we launch an IT startup, the day after tomorrow we organize a festival.

Frequent financial token:

Cash gaps and lack of regular sales. Money is spent impulsively on “testing new hypotheses.”

Pluses

Lightning reaction to market changes. Perfect for starting and testing hypotheses. It is very interesting to work here for those who hate routine.

Cons

Chronic team burnout. Business rests solely on the heroism of individuals. As soon as the “hero” gets sick, the process starts.

Outcome

It works perfectly at the launch stage, but when trying to scale, the ship sinks under the load of its own hypotheses.

Market Culture ("Gladiatorial Fights")

It is ruled by numbers, KPI and fierce internal competition. Every man for himself. The plan is complete – you get the golden cup. Not done, you're eaten by lions.

Frequent financial token:

Hard focus on revenue at all costs. Managers can give customers huge discounts just to close the plan this month and get their bonus, even if the deal turns out to be unprofitable for the company.

Pluses

Maximum efficiency in the moment. Weak employees are weeded out at the internship stage without wasting your time.

Cons

Toxic atmosphere. Colleagues do not help each other, but rather they will step up the bandwagon or take the client from under the nose. Loyalty to the company is strictly zero. At the slightest difficulty, the gladiators run to where they pay the most.

Outcome

Gives an excellent financial result in the short term, but in the long term – mercilessly burns the team to the ground.

Hierarchical Culture ("Lenin Plant")

A kingdom of regulations, regulations and endless approvals. To buy a pack of paper or agree on an account for 5,000 rubles, you need to collect three signatures and fill out an application in triplicate. The owner manages the business exclusively through dry reports.

Frequent financial token:

Finances are in perfect order, but due to bureaucracy, the company misses out on super-profitable deals. Flexibility is lost and agreement takes three weeks.

Pluses

Stability, predictability and security. All processes are digitized, each cog knows its place.

Cons

The speed of decision-making tends to zero. The initiative is severely punished. If the client asks to take a step away from the instructions, the system freezes.

Outcome

Kills any hint of flexibility. In a small business, a company often dies of old age before it can grow.

What do we do about it?

Consciously mix these “ingredients” depending on your business goals.

1. Diagnostics

First, honestly answer your question: What is your business lacking for growth?

If you have chaosadhocracy) - add a little hierarchyWrite rules, describe the processes, allocate areas of responsibility.

If you have a swampclanship- add marketImplement KPI and peg your salary to margin rather than good mood.

The main thing is not to try to treat all diseases with one tool.

2. Start with yourself.

Corporate culture changes through your daily decisions.

If you demand financial discipline from employees, but continue to withdraw money from the cash register for personal needs without reporting, this is the culture you build.

And if you are rudely cunning, then do not expect from colleagues the purity of lilies in thoughts.

There is no perfect culture in its pure form.

If you only have a “factory” – you will suffocate in the papers.

If only "Family" - one day you will go bankrupt from kindness.

If only the “Pirate Ship” – drown in endless experiments.

If only "Gladiator fights" - sooner or later you will be left without a team.

Strong companies do not choose one model. - They are able to combine them depending on the stage of business development, the market and the tasks they face.

And remember: corporate culture - It's how your employees behave when you're not in the office.

And you. - its beginning.