On Enterprise Culture

       A normal person has two legs, and a normal enterprise also has two legs: one leg is the hard power of the enterprise, such as products, services, prices, channels, marketing, etc; The other leg is soft power, including the company's brand, corporate culture, public relations, external communication, image, and so on. The strength of its soft power has an important impact on the development of the enterprise, internally affecting the company's production, operation and management, and externally affecting the social recognition of the enterprise. To become bigger, stronger, and more long-term, enterprises must develop both legs equally. The soft power represented by corporate culture is of great significance to enterprises. It affects the production, operation and management of the company internally, and affects the social recognition of the enterprise externally.

       Regardless of whether in China or the world, any enterprise with a bit of age seems to have its own set of "corporate culture". Google has Google's culture, and Baidu has Baidu's. Starbucks has its own corporate culture, as does Daniang Dumpling. Some enterprises seem to be so "wonderful" and rich in literary talent, such as "Crane dances in white sand, my heart flies", while others are all "unity", "struggle", "persistence", and "love". Something like that. Although the tone of this expression is too grand and narrative, there is still some truth in the directionality of these expressions, which can gradually enlarge the pattern of an enterprise. "Because our Chinese enterprises have grown from scratch and grown up, they need such values as their" mission "," vision "," purpose ", and" spirit "during their growth period. Even if they cannot do so, they cannot deny that they have such a sense of direction.".

       So what kind of enterprise truly deserves to have a corporate culture, and how to implement it after it has been "ascended", is a rather difficult topic. We often see several types of "corporate culture": one is the "oral culture" that comes from the boss's mouth, which is the most unreliable. It often occurs that every time a boss changes, the entire "culture" has to be cleaned from scratch. This time it's "serious and tense", and next time it's "united and lively". So the culture of some companies is fundamentally the unilateral culture of the boss. The other is the "written culture" that is summarized and written on paper or pasted on the wall. This is slightly better, but it has little effect. This can lead to some corporate cultural efforts being ritualized, such as putting up a slogan or creating a picture album, which is actually empty and harmful, and even arousing employees' disgust.

       Also, if we reflect on the national character of Chinese people, is it that we often say and do things one by one? There is also a "task culture" that employees recite fluently but cannot be seen in specific behaviors. These practices of valuing "culture" and belittling "transformation" are a serious misreading of corporate culture. The "culture" in corporate culture is actually both important and unimportant. The important thing is that there must be "culture" before "transformation", but just having "culture" without "transformation" is tantamount to not having, or even contaminating, the culture of the enterprise. So how to "transform" corporate culture? "We must rely on" imperceptible influence ", such as the spring rain" sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently ", and like the spring breeze" touching things without knowing "to" transform ".". This "transformation" is to unconsciously change the corporate culture and form a "common sense of value, common code of conduct, and common psychological understanding" for all employees. In this way, we can say that this enterprise has a "culture".

       Based on the above logic, to "transform" corporate culture, three things are specifically required: the first is time. The culture of an enterprise is the result of long-term accumulation. There are many enterprises in the world with a history of hundreds of years, and in the process of historical evolution, through continuous experience and transformation, they have accumulated the "way" for their long-term survival, growth and development. These enterprises have their own values and worldviews. In China, there are many entrepreneurs who are short-sighted, and "the money invested in the construction of soft power should be effective in that year.". Of course, the pursuit of profit is the essence of an enterprise, which is needless to say.

      However, profits cannot be the sole direction of the enterprise. It is not difficult to imagine that even if these enterprises make money every year, they will not make much or grow. This is because, frankly speaking, we are too poor, or we are poor and afraid. Whether it's a college teacher or a company boss, the basic mindset is that you haven't earned enough money yet! In the West, people's morale has been precipitated by generations of people who have no worries about food or clothing. Do you have the conditions for working for half a year or taking a vacation for half a year? Of course, our lives are getting better now, but there are two types of poverty in the world, one is true poverty, and the other is mental poverty. In China, neither individuals nor enterprises have passed this "psychological poverty period" and are still suffering from the psychological inertia of poverty. This tells us that the creation of a brand and the formation of a corporate culture cannot be achieved in one day or two, but in one or two years. It requires long-term accumulation. It is necessary to comply with the needs of the times and the laws of enterprise development by satisfying customers, employees, shareholders, government, and society, in order to achieve recognition from all aspects. Can gradually build their own corporate culture through long-term operation;

       The second need is atmosphere. The true corporate culture should be everyone's psychological tacit understanding and a common vision... These things should mainly be "formed" naturally, not "prescribed.". "Together, it gradually becomes a climate, and then new people come in, are influenced by it, and assimilate it. Over time, the entire enterprise has similar tendencies in values - this is the true corporate culture.". Just like in China, no matter what kind of foreign culture, it may eventually be assimilated by the "big sauce vat" of Han culture. For example, in the past, when I was a news commentator in the media, my opinions were relatively acrimonious and sharp, but when I arrived at the company, I became more tolerant. This is because we are surrounded by the atmosphere of the company, because our culture is precisely modest, with the three words "harmony and spirituality" in it. However, the mystery is endless, from the CEO to the workers in the workshop.

       The above things should mainly be "formed" naturally, not "prescribed". The corporate culture of Chinese enterprises, especially private enterprises, usually begins with the boss, but ultimately forms in the employees. Enterprises need to nurture their own cultural atmosphere. In the atmosphere, after an event occurs, everyone knows how to deal with it. Usually, everyone also pays attention to how their words, behaviors, and conduct meet the cultural requirements of the enterprise;

       The third point requires a high degree of employee awareness. The binding force of corporate culture is not as mandatory as laws and regulations. For example, even in an enterprise that advocates thrift, it is difficult for an enterprise to punish an employee for wasting a piece of paper or a bit of canteen food. Moreover, how to clearly define "waste" is also a difficult problem. Therefore, to implement corporate culture in action, it is necessary to truly convince everyone and reach consensus mentally and spiritually, Instead of superficial obedience and passive compliance, once regulation is lost, the "culture" will disappear. The constraints of corporate culture mainly come from self-discipline, and the emergence of a high degree of self-discipline stems from the high recognition of corporate culture by employees, which is the highest state of corporate culture.

       Just as the symbol of a society's maturity and progress comes from its culture, the symbol of whether an enterprise has vitality also comes from its culture. In the initial stage, enterprises need to rely on products and services to survive, while in the intermediate stage, they rely on mission and responsibility to develop. Finally, of course, they must rely on culture to achieve sustainable growth. An enterprise whose culture has been thoroughly "internalized" must possess three magic weapons for success that others cannot match: self discipline beyond the company's rules and regulations, team "combat effectiveness" with clear and firm goals, and "cohesion" to overcome difficulties and unite as one. If every employee in an enterprise can consciously combine enterprise development with their own career development, the enterprise will have a strong team, which can create its core competitiveness, create a valuable high-end brand, lead in the forefront of the times, and grace the world. www.jiashengsz.com