Workplaces are not just spaces for professional responsibilities — they are environments that largely shape employees’ social and corporate senses of well-being. In today’s world, companies must embrace rapid organizational change in order to maintain continuity and a competitive edge.
Increasingly, organizational change means assessing and improving corporate culture. Achieving real change involves competent, committed leadership to invest in all of the people within that culture.
Earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) online from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) can help professionals develop the leadership skills needed to foster a healthy work environment.
Why is Corporate Culture So Important?
A company’s culture impacts job seekers’ opinions during the job search. Additionally, employees are motivated when they feel connected to their company’s values. This can foster employee commitment and loyalty while improving performance.
Similarly, a company’s values shape the public’s perception of that company and informs the buying decisions of many potential customers, largely affecting a business’s success. Therefore, acquiring and retaining the best talent and building customer loyalty are necessary for businesses navigating today’s turbulent markets.
A culture that aligns with an organization’s strategy and values also ensures that everyone involved is invested in organizational goals. A shared motivation can foster collaboration, efficiency and productivity.
Why Change Corporate Cultures that Worked in the Past?
Simply put, if a company’s culture is not suited to the company’s goals, its employees and the public interest, something needs to change.
Traditional, task-oriented, authoritarian culture can encourage productivity through competitiveness and reward seeking. However, hierarchical structures can inhibit teamwork and innovation. Traditional corporate cultures can also be static, sustaining antiquated workplace models, practices and cultural norms. A clear example is the perpetuation of discrimination and inequity in the workplace based on race, ethnicity and gender.
Accordingly, many modern companies strive to develop a more people-oriented culture by focusing on the employee experience and fostering creativity. Focusing on the employee experience involves developing a culture of diversity and inclusion, investing in workplace equity, combating biases and facilitating open dialogue. Work culture should support agility through collaboration, employee investment and innovation.
An inclusive corporate culture also reflects the breadth of employee contributions, strengths and experiences. Fostering inclusivity enriches open communication and innovative thought. It also can minimize complacent groupthink.
Creating a supportive work culture is particularly important considering post-pandemic hybrid workplace models because decentralized workforces can mean a lack of connection and a lack of collaboration. Plus, the stress of pandemic concerns can challenge anyone’s commitment to their job. A culture that supports communication and constant engagement helps employees adapt to changing workplace environments and today’s difficult circumstances.
What Role Can MBAs Play in Leading Corporate Culture Change?
BGSU’s online MBA can help students understand the many factors that affect workplace culture and navigate the steps to improve corporate environments. These steps include defining what the current culture is and how it needs to change; articulating the aspirational culture; and providing the tools, training and leadership necessary to get there.
MBA studies in areas like organizational behavior, conflict resolution and communication are central to developing leadership skills. BGSU’s courses also emphasize cross-cultural perspectives and the social responsibilities of corporations, which allows students to grasp the dynamic cultural and societal contexts in which their company’s culture exists.
Furthermore, BGSU provides broad fundamental studies in all aspects of management practices across business operations. MBA graduates have the depth of knowledge needed to maintain the strengths of subcultures in all departments and teams while creating an overall culture of unity — a vital component to an inclusive corporate culture.
Learn more about BGSU’s online Master of Business Administration program.
Sources:
Harvard Business Review: The Leader’s Guide to Corporate Culture
Society for Human Resource Management: Understanding and Developing Organizational Culture
Forbes: 10 Ways Leaders Influence Organizational Culture
Everfi: This is How Workplace Diversity Improves Company Culture
