Organisational culture
Explore the CIPD’s point of view on organisational culture, including recommendations for employers
![](/globalassets/media/comms/the-people-profession/careers/2023-busy-office-40.jpg?width=10&height=6&quality=80&rxy=0.5%2c0.5&rmode=crop)
Explore the CIPD’s point of view on organisational culture, including recommendations for employers
A positive organisational culture allows employees to understand their organisation and feel that their voice matters in driving the business towards a common purpose. Continually evaluating culture is important because having shared, clearly defined values will influence the standard of an organisation’s customer service, as well as the satisfaction and retention of its people.
Organisational culture is an important concept to the people profession. The work of HR, L&D and OD influences and is influenced by organisational culture because, at its heart, every organisation is made up of human relationships and human interactions. Culture is therefore central to the role of the profession and must be managed and developed accordingly.
Organisational culture is a crucial topic for senior HR professionals, governance professionals, executive teams and corporate boards. A commonly used quote from Peter Drucker, the influential management academic, that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’, stresses that without an effective and healthy corporate culture, organisations will be unable to deliver against their strategy and meet their business objectives. Culture and behaviour are also core knowledge elements of our new Profession Map.
Committing to cultural change in an ever-evolving work environment is vital, particularly given the high rate of failure among change initiatives. To maximise the benefits and ensure the commitment, engagement and retention of their people, organisations must ensure that culture change is managed properly.
At the CIPD, we conduct a culture audit every two years and have recently refreshed our values to align with our purpose and objectives. These processes were led from the bottom-up, developing values through engagement with all staff. Culture audits carried out over time will track against the new organisation values. Our CEO and senior leadership team have direct responsibility for progress in changing CIPD culture in line with our new values.
When attempting to make cultural change, there are several things that organisations should consider:
Organisations have a responsibility to eliminate bullying and harassment, creating a culture where everyone feels safe, valued, and able to challenge inappropriate behaviour.
Our members are on a mission to help every worker thrive. So that the organisations they work for thrive too.
Listen to our new fortnightly podcast providing expert insights from HR leaders on the topical issues impacting the world of work
Listen nowExplore the CIPD’s point of view on responsible business, including recommendations for employers
Research investigates what factors influence employees’ responses to electronic performance monitoring
Watch our webinar for an outline of the changes, guidance and advice from our panel of experts
Explore the CIPD’s point of view on religion and belief, including actions for Government and recommendations for employers
Explore the CIPD’s point of view on responsible business, including recommendations for employers
Explore the CIPD’s point of view on flexible working, including recommendations for employers
Explore the CIPD’s point of view on health and wellbeing at work, including recommendations for employers