The battle for the best employees on the market has long since ceased to be decided by waiting for random applications. Highly motivated talents choose their future employer, which is why you can score points with applicants with a corporate culture 4.0.
In the business world, structures are changing at a breathtaking pace. The new magic word is Industry 4.0 and is the benchmark for modern production. Machines are digitally networked and in many cases can control or change processes automatically. This is a major advance in manufacturing operations.
What is possible with machines in production has not yet been established everywhere in the minds of people in the area of corporate culture. In most cases, work is done according to old-fashioned hierarchies, with the boss at the top. Below that, in the classic vertical organizational structure, are the departments with managers, employees and trainees.
Similar to Production, Is there Also a New Corporate Culture 4.0?
An agile corporate culture feels different than issuing guidelines and regulations. Modern work is done in teams where each member has equal rights and can take on leadership responsibility in their area of expertise. This leads to more responsibility and strengthens the self-esteem of individual employees
We would like to give you a first overview of what agile corporate culture means and how you can develop it in your company:
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What does corporate culture 4.0 even mean?
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New corporate culture - class instead of mass
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Agile corporate culture - freedom & responsibility
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The Netflix approach - an example of corporate culture 4.0
Agile corporate culture does not mean that you, as the boss, do jumping jacks in front of your employees. It shows how you can create an environment with attractive working conditions that binds highly motivated employees to your company emotionally and in the long term.
What Does Corporate Culture 4.0 Actually Mean?
The best way to introduce a new corporate culture is to "throw overboard" old encrusted structures. With our article, we would like to show you a way to free the minds of your employees and create the right incentives.
A good example is the development of future trends in B2B marketing and their opportunities through agile corporate culture. Today's marketing professionals must have a spectrum of tasks, skills and knowledge. It is crucial to be emotionally present at all touchpoints on the customer journey as well. This requires working together in a team where each employee knows exactly what their role is.
What Requirements Do Employees Need for a Modern Corporate Culture?
Change always begins in the mind. For this reason, the readiness for change comes from the employees and from you as the leader of the company:
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Readiness for mindset change among all participants
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Open communication between management and employees
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Creation of highly motivated teams
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Willingness of the management to change employees and to dare fresh blood through new hires
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Creating attractive workplaces for a high performance team
New Corporate Culture - Class Instead of Mass
The most valuable asset in your company is your employees. Without a qualified team that works together and on which you can rely, nothing works.
The mistake is often made to view staff as a "cost factor"
Year after year, some HR managers apply the red pencil in order to make further savings among employees. This is the wrong way to go, because some top performers can fall by the wayside as a result of these actions. But what does a forward-looking path look like?
You need the best talent in your business and the most motivated employees. Scan your workforce to find out who is high performing and who brings good ideas to the table. In every company there are low performers who just "float along" and sometimes even slow down the drive of others
A Practical Example: One Person Reduces Performance by 40%
The behaviour of employees in teams was investigated. A team of four under "normal working conditions" was taken as a basis. The surprising result was that a single low performer can reduce the overall performance of the team by up to 40%. In contrast, high-performing employees spur each other on to achieve even more for the team.
Agile Corporate Culture: Freedom & Responsibility
The larger the corporate entity, the tighter the structures. In some operations, there are departments that deal with:
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Corporate strategy
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Establishment of guidelines
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Creation of work instructions
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Optimization of work processes
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Creation of rules and regulations
for employees at the grassroots level. At the same time, many of these "strategists" are far removed from the practice in day-to-day business in their own corporate culture. Many of these instructions lead to frustration on the part of the employees when reading the instructions.
Highly motivated employees, who are supposed to bring your company forward, do not want to be constantly harassed
If you succeed in creating freedom and responsibility for the staff within the framework of an agile corporate culture, the employees will certainly reward you for it.
What Options Does Corporate Culture 4.0 Offer You in Terms of Freedom and Responsibility?
What can you do concretely to establish a corporate culture 4.0 in a company? In addition to creating a "we" feeling by simply communicating the company's identity and mission, we have the following tips for you:
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Encourage the courage to make mistakes when developing new ideas.
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New thoughts of the employees are valued and not criticized
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Awaken hidden talents of your employees by allowing them to openly show their strengths.
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Give responsibility to employees within the scope of their professional and social competence.
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Create freedom in the areas of working hours, personal initiative and remuneration.
The Netflix Approach: An Example of Corporate Culture 4.0
The media company was forced to shed a third of its workforce in the wake of the economic crisis that followed the bursting of the dotcom bubble. In the process, less talented employees were let go. To the management's surprise, it turned out that the company was able to turn around its workforce:
As the performance density of the remaining employees in the company increased, the group became faster and more successful
The result is that high-performing colleagues develop best in a high-talent environment. That's why on our personal book hit list, the book "No Rules: Why Netflix is so successful" by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer ranks high
What's the "Netflix" Triad to Success as an Aagile Company Culture?
Hard to believe, but these three ground rules don't represent the land of milk and honey, they represent badass business:
It's part of the company culture that attracts highly motivated, high-performing prospects like moths to a flame.
According to the principle that class is better than mass, Netflix constantly checks whether all positions in the company are still filled with the best players. In the process, managers ask themselves whether or not they would change an employee's mind in the event of their own termination. If the answer to this question is "no", the separation from the respective person takes place immediately.
You have now learned how an agile corporate culture can be implemented in your company.
The key to success is the right people, and change happens in people's minds
Create attractive working conditions in your company to attract high-performing talent in the market. Don't be afraid to replace low performers in your workforce with highly motivated new talent.
Conclusion:
For modern companies, establishing Corporate Culture 4.0 means taking the right step into the future. Old structures and hierarchical levels are a thing of the past. It is important to give employees more freedom and responsibility for their actions. Only in this way will you succeed in attracting highly motivated talent to your company. According to the motto class instead of mass, it is crucial to find the best players for the positions in your company. Your agile corporate culture pays off in the long run and ensures future success.
