PPB June 2016

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4 • PPB • JUNE 2016
WHAT DO THE GREATEST
WORKPLACES have in com-
mon? Over the past six years that
PPB has recognized some of our
industry’s finest based on employee nominations,
I’ve thought about that quite a bit. I’ve seen compa-
nies struggle with retention only to lose their best
people, and others add a bunch of “fun” extras that
don’t seem to make a real difference in the employ-
ees’ work experience. Then I’ve seen other compa-
nies that do it so right. A great workplace sprouts
from the right company culture, but how do you
create it?
Enter Kathy Finnerty Thomas, president of
Stowebridge Promotion Group, and a speaker,
writer and trainer on making companies memo-
rable. In a recent article for PPB, she brilliantly hit
the nail on the head in regard to creating company
culture. She says it is as though “executives have
read the title but not the book.” In other words,
“they have embraced the headline but didn’t read
the fine print,” she says. Rather than try to relate
Kathy’s insightful teachings on the topic, let me
share her words with you.
“Nap rooms, Ping Pong, unlimited vacation,
beer Fridays, bring-your-dog-to-work days, coffee
stations, green belts and on-site yoga during the
work day. Some companies offer these perks and
they have led to a misguided understanding of
company culture and how to create it. In some
cases companies also have a great culture, but in
many cases it is just window dressing.
“It is no wonder some executives are confused
when they have done all of these things and invest-
ed in creative, state-of-the-art offices, but the grand
promises of great corporate culture haven't materi-
alized.
“Culture is the heart and soul of a company, not
how it is dressed.
“Great corporate culture is the key differentiator
between amazing companies with staying power and
ordinary companies, especially in this world where
product and service differentiation often last only a
few weeks or months. It is the only truly sustainable
competitive advantage companies have. Nearly
every company featured on PPB’s Greatest
Companies To Work For list, and others, cite culture
as their key focus and secret to success.
“Corporate culture is not a perk or an event or a
party or a dress code. It is more than just a state-
ment on a website. And it is so much more than the
great buzz phrase it has become in business today.
Millennials will tell you it is very important in their
job search and determines whether they will stay
with a company.
“Perks are merely artifacts of culture, they are
not culture. The biggest misunderstanding is that
culture is external. It’s not—it’s internal. It is the
operating system of the company. Great culture
guides what is acceptable and unacceptable in how
employees interact with each other and with cus-
tomers. It is the navigation system that guides a
company through good times and difficult times in
making decisions and determining right from wrong.
“Every company has a company culture whether
you recognize it or not. Most cultures are acciden-
tal, created by the strongest personalities in any
Tina Berres Filipski EDITOR
PERSPECTIVES
The Great Misunderstanding
Of Corporate Culture
PERSPECTIVES
Continued on page 81