Corporate Culture Training – “How To”

Corporate culture is the heartbeat of every good company, helping it to run smoothly and bringing the organization to life.  It is essential for all employees in a corporate environment to not only understand the workload expectations, but the company culture as well.  Here are some “how to” tips on corporate culture training to better communicate company values, visions, and strategic priorities.

• Schedule corporate culture training as a required professional development program for all different teams and positions throughout the company.  This will allow individuals to be on the same page and help instill the culture throughout all teams.

• Rather than having the Human Resources department present the culture training, have professionals from Operations and Senior Executives who do not report directly to the CEO present the material.  This will help to keep the focus on work-based cultural scenarios Also, do not discriminate when selecting individuals to lead the cultural training.  Rather than prioritizing minorities or women to be engaged or act as group leaders, have a good blend of all different individuals that represent your company.

• Stress the importance of culture training, yet recognize that it is a piece to the larger whole in driving the organization’s values and mission to eventually lead to success.

• When talking about improvements that need to be made, start from the top of the company and work down.  Following this path will help to engage even the lowest employee and not make them feel as though all the responsibility is on them.

• Do not think that culture training will correct discriminatory behaviors or discouraged practices in the work place.  See this environment as a place to help prevent future unprofessional behaviors and teach employees what is expected of them before problems arise.

• Finally, do not solely evaluate how impactful the training is through responses provided by participants or facilitators.  Wait to see if there is improvement or change in the workplace by monitoring the environment and look for key distinguishing factors that were discussed at the training.  Also, make sure that follow-up is provided to reinforce the content, and hold individuals accountable for the new policies and practices taught.

It is essential to know that all employees are fully aware of the corporate culture and what is expected of them. Providing a training session that goes over this topic is a great way to engage employees and present the materials and expectations before problems arise.

This post was contributed by Kelsey Grabarek on behalf of Dale Carnegie Training, the training company founded on the principles of the famous speaker and author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”  Visit Dale Carnegie Training online to learn more about leadership training.

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