Corporate culture - today's key competitive advantage in the battle for talent

Organisational development

"Young people have important competences, the question of how to attract them to the workplace is crucial for the future of most companies."

We are in the midst of a paradigm shift where the corporate cultures of the past are no longer applicable to today's problems. As a leader, you must dare to question everything and develop a company that is attractive to all generations. Leaders must provide environments for people to grow, where it is fun to be involved, engaging to go to work. A culture that is characterised by employees who are passionate, not just about their job, but about everything that makes life fun to live.

The question all business leaders should be asking themselves is, "How do we create a corporate culture that is attractive to the X, Y and Millennium generation? Too often, professional expectations and lifestyle needs do not match between older and younger colleagues.

Most corporate cultures today value and reward:

Individualism
Task orientation
Position
The final result
Competing and racing

To attract new and future employees, we need to value and reward:

Teamwork
Relationship orientation
Achievement
The process, the way forward
Interaction and co-operation

At a time when the pace is faster than ever, we cannot afford to waste human potential, we cannot say no to engagement, when engagement is a scarce resource. This is why culture becomes perhaps the most valuable asset of companies when the general level of engagement in the workplace is declining, when competition is increasing and customers tend to be less and less loyal. From this perspective, it's surprising that many business leaders still see culture as soft and fuzzy, something that can be done on the side and doesn't need to be taken seriously, an HR process like any other. Sure, it may have been difficult for the most business-driven leader to see the impact of something less tangible, but today it is possible to effectively measure cultural status and progress, and it is not very difficult to link cultural impact to business results.

Culture and the ability of companies to adopt new approaches is not the most important competitive factor of the future, it is the most important competitive tool of today.