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Company Culture Plays a Role In Making a Business Successful How real is "company culture," and how important is it to a company's success? According to Stever Robbins, an executive coach and a judge in Harvard Business School's annual business plan competition, not only is company culture a very real phenomenon, it ranks second among a chief executive officer's four main duties. After setting strategy and vision, building company culture is the foremost task facing any CEO, eclipsing both team-building and capital allocation in importance."Work gets done by people, and people are profoundly affected by culture," Robbins says. "A lousy place to work can drive away high performers, and a great place to work can attract and retain the very best." A company's culture consists of the shared values and practices of its employees and management, and it can make or break a business. "It plays a huge role in our success," says Michael Strong, vice president of Brothers Strong, a 15-year-old residential contracting company that recently expanded into the commercial arena. "Construction is a tough business, with big swings in volume every year," he says. "Were it not for the leadership of our patriarch-my father, Don Strong-we would not have enjoyed our many successes over the past 15 years." As Strong's comment suggests, the company culture at Brothers Strong is somewhat patriarchal in nature, a quality that is a positive attribute in the rough-and-tumble construction industry, where strong leadership is a plus. The company's motto, "Promises made. Promises kept," is another reflection of its culture. "Anybody who knows us says we are a 'Type A' company-a hard-charging, lots of fun, take-no-prisoners kind of company," Strong says. "First, do not bet against us when times are tough. Second, know in advance that we will not hesitate to relax with time off when business is more settled. Finally, in between we give a huge amount of our company and personal time back into our favorite charities."
"We'll support a salesperson's decision to walk away from a prospective sale if there is not a good match with the client," Strong explains. "We'll support a project manager if he needs help in getting a trade contractor to perform up to our construction and job-site etiquette standards. And, of course, we support our office staff in all their operational and customer service decisions." Brother Tommy Strong is also a part of the business, and with almost half the workforce consisting of close blood relatives, it raises the question of whether the company's family-style culture can work for employees who are not, well, family. The answer is a resounding yes, says Denise Taylor, Brothers Strong's office manager, who has been with the company about 10 years. The family-style company culture is a hit with non-family-member employees because it addresses their workplace needs but also tunes in to their personal desires, personality types and desired growth paths. "The company is very flexible and accommodating," Taylor says. "The culture here allows us to participate in family, church and community activities. On the workplace side, educational opportunities, support and mentoring are all selected and implemented based on each individual's personality, career and personal goals." While the energy exploration and recovery industry is certainly as rough-and-tumble as the construction trade, Texas Honing's involvement in it as a specialist in precision tubular products dictates a different kind of company culture, according to CEO Robert Steele. Texas Honing meets a wide range of customer needs, providing design and consulting services, material sourcing, deep-hole drilling, boring, turning, straightening and vertical and horizontal honing. Precision, high standards for quality and accuracy and the ability to meet deadlines characterize the company culture in that environment. "Sweating the details" is part and parcel of what makes the company what it is, Steele points out.
The backbone of Texas Honing's operation is a combination of up-to-date equipment and expert technicians to streamline machining services and meet on-time deliveries. A company culture of precision, accuracy and quality is just what is needed to succeed in an industry environment with little or no margin for error. At Woodlake Travel Services, a Houston travel agency specializing in upscale leisure and special interest travel, passion, creativity, innovation and personal involvement are the defining characteristics of the company's culture, and that fosters a spirit of entrepreneurship. "It is my firm belief that the creativity of one person is very limiting, whereas encouraging input from everyone sparks creativity throughout the organization," says Bettie Harding Lee, president of Woodlake Travel, which has two offices in Houston and 16 employees. Woodlake consultants are passionate about travel. Coupled with the communal creativity and shared sense of entrepreneurship Lee describes, that translates into excitement when Woodlake consultants discuss trips with their customers, and it plays a key role in the company's ongoing success. "We truly try to think outside the box and embrace change as being positive," Lee says.
PERSONAL GROWTH Employees at the company average 25 years of travel industry tenure, and more than 80 percent have over two decades of experience. Each has traveled to 35 countries, on average, and a third of staff members have journeyed to more than 55 countries and as many as 80. Their passion for travel is also reflected in their constant seeking of knowledge about destinations and vendors, Lee says.Company culture at Woodlake encourages employees to pursue personal growth and develop areas of specialization. Almost all are college-educated, two boast MBA degrees, and several have walked away from lucrative careers in other industries for the chance to work at doing something they love. "When someone has an entrepreneurial spirit, as I do, that spirit can either be squashed or encouraged by your company," says Linda de Sosa, a Stanford MBA who spent many years as a consumer expert in the marketing industry before joining the travel industry. "At Woodlake Travel, every idea I come up with is supported by management, and I am told to run with it," she says. "Promotions, Websites, group ideas, training suggestions-all have been welcomed," says de Sosa. The corporate culture at Woodlake has changed in response to industry changes over the almost 30 years the company has been in business, Lee acknowledges. When airlines cut the commissions paid to travel agents, for example, it spurred her to reevaluate how the firm did business. "It was imperative that all facets be evaluated from a profitability point of view," she says. "We moved both of our locations to larger facilities, allowing us to add a travel merchandise component to augment our travel sales." The company also has tapped Internet technology to support an increased focus on custom-designed travel, offering clients travel experiences that cannot be duplicated, Lee adds. It has looked for and found new profit centers within its industry that offer better services to Woodlake customers.
The company culture is maintained and passed on to employees through a variety of means both formal and informal at Woodlake. Industry speakers are brought in periodically, the company's in-house trainer runs sessions to boost knowledge and sales skills.
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