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What is Company Culture?

Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth

Culture used by itself refers to the collective institutions, art, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, values, and products of human beings. Subcategories of the overarching culture of humanity are generally connected with places, ethnicities, and periods. Company culture, also referred to as work culture, corporate culture, and organizational culture — though the latter is a somewhat broader term — names the beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and values that develop specific to a company, as a subset of the culture of the national or ethnic culture in which it exists. Company culture serves both to define and to separate a company from other companies.

All companies have a culture, whether it is recognized and consciously shaped or not. A company culture can benefit a company or be detrimental, depending on what it is. A company culture is responsible for how things are done at the company, including what decisions are made and how they’re made. Although the company culture is initially established through the company’s mission and the founders’ implementation, as the company grows, everyone in the company comes to have an influence of some degree on the company culture.

A dress shirt and tie are appropriate office attire for men at many companies.
A dress shirt and tie are appropriate office attire for men at many companies.

A company may be more or less conscious of its own culture and strive with greater or less intent to create a certain type of culture. One company that is very invested in its own culture is Google. On the “Corporate Culture” page of its website, it announces that some of the reflections of its culture include localization of the décor in each office rather than identical offices worldwide; well-stocked break rooms; a variety of healthy dining areas within the building; exercise areas and classes, as well as pianos and foosball tables; plenty of laptops and hardly any solo offices; relaxing accoutrements, including massage chairs, inflatable balls, and dogs. A look at Google’s corporate philosophy — which includes statements like “You can be serious without a suit” shows a coherence between Google’s mission and its culture.

Company culture in companies can help set the tone for employee performance and productivity.
Company culture in companies can help set the tone for employee performance and productivity.

Whether the company is structured in a strict hierarchy, how departments inter-relate, and how work teams are formed are all part of the company culture. The accessibility of the top executives and whether they stay in their offices or are seen throughout the building is another aspect of the culture. Company culture determines the appropriate attire at the job, as well as at the job interview. It also determines things like the hours one is expected to work, whether flextime or telecommuting is possible, and what happens to unused vacation at the end of the year. For all these reasons, assessing a company’s culture is an important step for a potential employee to take as he or she considers applying for or accepting a position at an organization.

Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to SmartCapitalMind about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.

Learn more...
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to SmartCapitalMind about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.

Learn more...

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    • A dress shirt and tie are appropriate office attire for men at many companies.
      By: Tombaky
      A dress shirt and tie are appropriate office attire for men at many companies.
    • Company culture in companies can help set the tone for employee performance and productivity.
      By: Rido
      Company culture in companies can help set the tone for employee performance and productivity.
    • When assessing a company as a potential employee, be sure to ask whether the company allows telecommuting and flextime options.
      By: Rido
      When assessing a company as a potential employee, be sure to ask whether the company allows telecommuting and flextime options.