Company Culture – A Thousand Roads Lead Man Forever Towards Rome

All roads lead to Culture.

A company’s culture might be described as a system. A system designed to provide the tools for people to continually improve their work. The etymology of the modern “culture” has a classical origin. In English, the word “culture” is based on a term used by Cicero, in his Tusculan Disputations, wrote of a cultivation of the soul or “cultura animi”, thereby using an agricultural metaphor to describe the development of a philosophical soul, which was understood teleological as the one natural highest possible ideal for human development.

Denison looks at four key zones, Mission, Involvement, Consistency and Adaptability. They further divide the data by internal, external focus and flexibility versus stability.

Additional keys to a successful company culture we should consider are:

• A long term philosophy – a vision.

• A commitment to the right process will produce the right results.

• Value is added to the organization thru people

• Continuously learning and solving root problems

* A long-term vision involves creating a place that provides more than a paycheck. It echoes a conviction that we all need a purpose to find momentum and continue to achieve goals.

“mille vie ducunt hominem per secula Romam”
A thousand roads lead man forever towards Rome

* Too often we think of process and results as Operational issues. The right Design processes will achieve high value-added products. The flow of the correct information is as critical as the flow of material. A long-term visions understands and links process and people together to reveal opportunities, correct them and recognize these events throughout the culture.

* Value of people is part of a long term vision. Believing in people, believing that we all work better as teams, we get the best results when we work and are judged as a team. A key meaning to the long term philosophy is the treatment of suppliers and partners. “Partner of perish” is a corner stone to a long term vision. A significant cultural trait is mutual ownership of problems and comprehending the solution maybe only found after a number of attempts and trials.

* Continuous learning solves problems and drives the Company Culture, just as there is often mutual ownership of problems, their solution require consensus and continued reflection.

All roads lead to a Companies Culture, the creation a long term vision is easy. Executing it, living it is the challenge; there will be days it’s gone to fight the very core of your being. When the vision is credible it has integrity; integrity is humility, courage and harmony-walking the talk. When the vision is credible its intent is based on trust, a behavior that respects others and a genuine caring.

– It’s the voice of life that calls us to learn.