Chances are, you contributed in some way – positively or negatively – to your company's "culture" today. You did if you hired
a new employee – or promoted or fired an old one. You did if you established, followed or disregarded a company policy. And
you did it if you addressed a concern raised by a customer, vendor, employee or insurer.
So what exactly is "culture" and how do you gauge your own company's culture? Is it something you can change – and if so,
how? Perhaps most importantly, why does it matter?
ABRN posed these questions to eight members of the industry who have thought about, studied or worked to change "culture" at their
companies or others. Here's what we heard.
Jack Farnan, senior vice president of human resources at Mitchell International:A company's culture is comprised of the beliefs, values, standards and views of its employees. It determines how employees
approach their job, and how they treat the customer and each other. That's why culture matters.
Shop owners can definitely shape the culture of their company. Once the owner can articulate what they want the culture to
look like, it becomes a matter of communicating it clearly and repeatedly to the workforce. Find opportunities to recognize
employees supporting the values of the desired culture, and dissuade employees from behaviors that are contrary to the desired
state.
Mitchell's values, for example, reflect how we want our employees to work with customers and each other. Marc Brungger, executive
vice president of Mitchell's auto physical damage division, points out, "One of our core values at Mitchell is: 'Delight the
customer.' That puts everything in perspective for our employees. They stay focused on our customers, trying to exceed their
expectations and helping them be successful."
Mitchell reinforces its values by holding employees accountable for demonstrating them. Employees are evaluated during their
annual performance appraisal on how they conduct their work relative to the company's values. Customer-facing employees have
variable compensation tied to customer satisfaction surveys.
By clearly articulating Mitchell's values, holding employees accountable for living those values, and recognizing and rewarding
them for doing so, the company is able to shape and mold its culture.
Steve Feltovich, manager of collision business consulting for Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes:
Steve Feltovich
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The culture of any organization is based on the group's ideology. These beliefs, values and opinions permeate the entire organization,
and influence new and existing employees to conform to the organization's established culture.
The culture is expressed through the company's philosophy, work habits and public image. Potential customers may evaluate
a company's culture within 15 seconds, based on the attitudes, attention to detail, and level of care they sense from employees.
This determines whether the customer has positive or negative feelings about doing business with your company.
Changing culture requires serious leaders who can effectively drive and communicate the necessary changes, leaders who understand
that it may take a year or more to get a firm cultural foundation in place.
Collision repair shops embarking on "lean production" implementation often overlook the most vital required component: a continuous
improvement culture. They simply do not take the time to learn enough about building the right culture in order to sustain
the change to "lean" long-term. So their operational changes will disappear over time. A series of Sherwin-Williams' training
classes titled "EcoLean" offer the concepts and skills shops need to lead effective cultural transformations.
