Company culture isn’t a cosmetic nice-to-have; it can be one of the key drivers of success for your organisation. In fact, research by the Queen’s University Centre for Business Venturing shows that businesses with a positive company culture experienced:
- 65% greater share-price increase
- 26% less employee turnover
- 100% more unsolicited employment applications
- 20% less absenteeism
- 15% greater employee productivity
- 30% greater customer satisfaction levels
Most businesses know that a healthy company culture brings with it some incredible benefits. However, how to attain such a culture is less clear. When you’re trying to create a healthy culture, the concept can seem frustratingly ambiguous. And yet, culture is palpable. You can sense a hostile culture the moment you walk into an office as easily as you can sense a warm and supportive culture.
Can technology shape your company culture? Not only can technology shape your company culture, but it will have a heavy influence whether you intend it to or not.
Technology Shapes Communication
Just as communication problems can derail personal relationships, they can also cause major issues in the workplace. Fortunately, today’s technology has brought us so many different ways to communicate that it’s easy to create communication solutions tailored to how your business operates.
For instance, if your business relies on collaboration with satellite teams or remote workers, you can use solutions like video conferencing to keep teams connected. They can have meetings, conversations and training sessions face-to-face, even though they’re cities (or possibly even oceans) apart.
By empowering your workers with a streamlined and enjoyable way to collaborate, you can encourage deeper engagement, long-term working relationships, and remove frustration and miscommunication.
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Technology Facilitates Productivity
When it comes to productivity, technology can be a two-edged sword. On the one hand, technology makes it possible to accomplish more in less time and to be more accurate and productive. On the other hand, technology can provide distractions and even become the focus when it should be a facilitator.
By carefully choosing the technology platforms your company uses, you can craft a culture of productivity. For example, project management software can empower teams to stay on top of the real-time status of a project, and file sharing programs can power real-time collaboration extremely efficiently.
Productivity is an essential ingredient in a positive company culture. Employees who feel they’re spinning their wheels due to inefficient and outdated systems will soon become frustrated, unmotivated and dissatisfied with their work.
Technology Propels Innovation
When you’re running a business, it’s easy to allow your systems to become outdated. After all, you’re trying to keep up with the day-to-day demands of your business, and converting your accounting software or communications programs over to new systems may seem like a great big headache.
Keep in mind, however, that staying on the cutting edge of technology can spur valuable innovation. When your company values technology, employees look for new ways to accomplish their work and for better practices for fulfilling the company’s mission. This builds a company culture your employees take pride in, and it creates a dynamic, forward-thinking atmosphere where no one feels stagnant.
Clearly, technology plays a large role in the shaping of a company’s culture. If you’re looking to improve your company’s culture by incorporating state-of-the-art technology, start by experiencing a free trial of CommuniCloud video conferencing software.