Here at Culture Stretch, we help SMEs build amazing workplace cultures that keep employees engaged, committed and fulfilled, as well as creating long-term customer loyalty.

Having worked in a wide variety of businesses in leadership roles, culturally we have seen the lot!! In the best examples, we have witnessed teams achieve amazing results and unbelievable levels of engagement. In the worst, we have watched in horror as businesses disengaged their teams and performance slips to a terminal level. These experiences are what fuelled the creation of Culture Stretch.

Creating the very best culture for your teams should be at the forefront of your mind if you are serious about building a truly successful business. 

So what is culture and how do we help organisations improve it? 

Often people refer to culture as “the way we do things around here”. Whilst that may be to some degree accurate that description leaves leaders confused on what to change to improve a business culturally.

It’s not a relaxed dress code and bring your dog to work Fridays.

It’s not having a Ping Pong table in the kitchen and free food for all staff.

It’s not working from a swanky office and doing “company yoga” every morning.

We believe that there are three elements to a culture: behaviours, systems, and practices, all guided by an overarching set of values. A great culture is what you get when all three of these are aligned, and line up with the organisation’s agreed values.

Behaviours
Creating clarity around behaviours through a clear values statement is a good starter for ten. But what truly impacts culture isn’t the list but whether leaders exhibit those values and uphold them across the team.

Systems
The processes you create, the technology and software you use, even the job roles and titles you have will impact your business’s culture. Using the right systems can have a huge impact on your team and their ability to help you deliver results.

Practices
Building consistent and sustainable practices for your business is absolutely crucial if you want an engaging culture. Decision-making processes, meeting management, and feedback processes are great examples of practices that will either be positively or negatively affecting your culture.

Helping businesses build a truly great culture is our absolute passion. So if you are passionate about your team and want to know how to get them truly engaged in what you are trying to achieve then get in touch using the form below!