The positive impact of engaging employees with a business has long been reported. With highly engaged teams outperforming those with low motivation by 202% improving the internal environment for colleagues has become a higher priority for many businesses, including SMEs.
One of the main ways SMEs can improve their employee engagement, and therefore their business performance, is by improving their internal culture. Otherwise known as a high-performance culture, it's increasingly becoming the aspiration for businesses of many sizes. Yet what is it, what are the benefits and how can you build one?
What is a high-performance culture?
In any business, culture can be difficult to define. In broad terms, it’s the set of values, beliefs and behaviours that are at the base of a company and drive each individual and collective action. In businesses with high-performance cultures, the environment that’s created drives high levels of productivity and engagement amongst colleagues.
Although the exact nature of a high-performance culture will differ from business to business, there are some key signs that indicate one, including:
- Fully engaged and happy employees.
- A positive, open working environment.
- Nurturing and emphatic leadership.
- Colleagues that are empowered to act and speak at every level.
- Strong values that drive all action.
If your business doesn’t have these features, or you’ve been experiencing negative effects such as drops in performance or internal conflicts as a result of your workplace environment, then creating a high-performance culture could bring plenty of benefits.
