Employee Resource Group Excellence

7Culture Pillar: Building a Culture of Excellence and Belonging

Of the 4C pillars, Culture is the one that can have the most impact on an organization. Culture is commonly defined as the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an organization. In simpler terms, culture helps to define the proper way to think, act, and behave within an organization. Every company has its own unique culture and most indicate that they wish to foster a culture of inclusion in the workplace and thus want to eliminate feelings of “outsiderness” for any employee.

Yet even though companies wish to create an environment that is inclusive, many employees still feel like outsiders in the workplace. This causes them to further suppress the parts of themselves that make them distinctly unique from their coworkers. Feeling like an outsider is a personally painful and negative experience. The energy required to overcome feeling like an outsider at times can undermine one's focus and performance. The Culture pillar within the 4C Model^TM helps companies fulfill their desire for inclusiveness by having individuality both noticed and valued. Workplace support, understanding, and trust all reduce the likelihood of an employee feeling like an outsider. That is why the impact of the Culture pillar can be so significant. The two segments that help to define the Culture pillar are Belonging and Systems (See Figure 7.1) and we will explore each.

FIGURE 7.1 The Culture 4C Pillar ...