Our Blog: where do you stand?

What's in the (Corporate) Air?

By: Maya Lunnemann | 10/12/2007

A company's culture is a pretty good indicator of its core values. As the new kid on the block, I'm still learning the ins and outs of our culture. Do my colleagues want to chat in the morning? Can I walk into my colleague's office or do I need to schedule a time? What sort of approval process do I need to go through to participate in professional development opportunities?

The more I learn about our culture, the more impressed (and surprised) I become.

Example: Imagine my surprise this morning when our president walked into my office to deliver company news. We weren't able to hold a staff meeting, so she personally delivered the news to each employee. You may be thinking, “So what?” Her action reinforced the company's value of creating an open environment, which is just one component of our company's culture.

That being said, I've observed a few things during the short time I've been here:

Standing Partnership breeds an environment of respect – for its employees, clients and other business partners.

The company invests time and resources into its employees and clients – I recently attended a brainstorm session for a client's sales force. They were looking for recommendations to address a non-PR problem. This brainstorm was part of the value-added service that we provide.

Community involvement is a large part of the culture – Our company actually invests time for any employee that sits on a Board. Who knew that companies actually did that?!

Every now and then, you'll see me post comments about Southwest Airlines – its customer service, innovation, etc. The Business Civic Leadership Center provides a great case study on the way Southwest's corporate culture affects employee morale, business performance and the bottom line.

How does your culture stack up?

Posted in Where We Stand