Changing a corporate culture is one of the hardest things for a business leader to do. But getting serious about ‘the way we do things’ can pay back in pounds and pence, and much more besides.
We all know business success is built on a myriad of different things, from knowledge and experience, to tenacity, and more than a drop of luck. But research has revealed that confident, ambitious companies need to do more to create a rewarding work environment to become the best. The culture of an organisation underpins everything that it does.
When it goes wrong, it can be devastating (think: some areas of investment banking, especially earlier this century). But when culture is implemented correctly, it can make a massive difference (think: Google, Apple and Innocent Drinks)…and shouldn’t be underestimated. According to a recent Harvard Business Review blog, culture “can account for 20% to 30% of the differential in corporate performance when compared with ‘culturally unremarkable’ competitors”.
A company with a clearly defined culture can attract the very best talent to do the very best job…for which Adido is a happy example.
Adido - which works with well-known brand names, including M&S and Orange, and high profile regional organisations, such as BH Live, Dorset Tea and Bournemouth Borough Council – has grown over the last 11 years. But in the last 18 months, since the company placed culture at the heart of its business strategy, growth has hit warp speed.
In that time, the firm has been voted one of the top digital agencies outside London (helped by testimonials of multiple happy customers) and has doubled in size.Add to this winning international awards for being both 'Marketing company of the year' and 'Best place to work' in 2014, where Adido beat much larger corporations such as DHL into second place… you start to get the full picture.
“Culture change has made us one of the top agencies in the country. Making the company an amazing place to work has enabled us to recruit and retain the best people in the industry,” said Andy Headington, Adido’s CEO. “Our culture is all about employee satisfaction and happiness, while at the same time being ambitious to achieve our business goals together".
To achieve cultural success, Adido has introduced a series of activities designed to enable everyone to achieve great heights, including employees, clients and the company itself. This includes; a dedicated culture team, flexible working hours, innovation days, a company ‘rec’ room (with games consoles and board games), free fruit for all, beach afternoons in the summer and many more benefits.
Adido’s top tips for creating the right culture
Get help. If you ask us about web design or digital marketing campaigns, we’ll have the answers at our fingertips. But when it came to creating a new culture, we knew what we wanted, but we weren’t quite sure how to get it. So we listened to what our employees wanted and spoke to other companies who embraced culture
- Be you, and be prepared to be brave. You’re setting your own culture, not someone else’s. Work out what’s important to you, and then find practical ways to display it
- Be consistent. It’s no good having a vision if you’re not prepared to live it, day-in, day-out. Make sure you keep an eye on what you want to achieve (and the way you want to do it), even in the most pressurised moments
- Decide how you’re going to measure success. We want to attract, and keep, some of the best talent in the business. With great people you can do great things for your clients. We’ve been voted one of the top five independent marketing agencies in the UK, so we must be doing something right.
- Work with people who fit your culture – clients as well as team members. Everyone will be more successful this way.
Adido is currently adding to its award-winning team. find out more on our careers page.
