Is our culture the right one for us?

Like every successful organization, Straive (Formerly SPi Global) has invested significantly in defining its culture. While it influences each one in the company, it continues to be influenced by the employees as well. There is nothing in this symbiotic relationship to raise the question, “Is our culture the right one for us?”

But we ask it because ‘culture’ is a broad idea. There might be extensive research available on workplace culture, yet there is no clear definition of the ‘right’ culture.

Our organizational culture is the matrix of what we are and what we want to be. It is nice to be aspirational, but Straive’s culture cannot be completely different from its DNA. A good reason why many organizations find it a challenge to align their stated culture and their actual culture. It does not have to be that way. Company culture keeps evolving over the years, guided and unguided by the organization’s objectives. It is easier to understand this evolving culture and reinforce its strengths rather than steer everyone towards a new set of values. There is no need to alter a course that is inherently native unless there is a good enough reason to do so.

There is an expiry date on how long you can hold the economy responsible for a company’s poor performance. A culture that drives transparency, trust, and employee engagement significantly contributes to an organization’s productivity

Based on the first two pillars, our culture encourages employee engagement to the extent employees to feel they are integral to the organization. They are motivated to own the work they do and hence excited about the results they can achieve. In the process, we nurture a culture of accountability, which is proactive. Straive prefers not to point fingers at a mistake. Instead, we look for a solution and learns from the experience. Accountability is also addressed through clear communication from the top down. How things are done is clear. So is what we want to achieve.

Straive never shoots the messenger. Feedback is welcome at every level and impartially addressed.

As an organization, we have ticked most of the boxes around what makes for a robust culture. After all, no matter how powerful the company’s inherent synergies may be, we still take tangible and measurable behavior to build a sustainable corporate culture that empowers performance. By themselves, businesses cannot transform ordinary employees into brand loyalists. A strong and well-defined company culture can. This same set of values also helps new entrants ease into their roles with a better understanding.

At Straive, the culture definition is clear, simple, solid yet warm. It recognizes unity and diversity. It believes in communication, empowerment and is as focused on individuals as on the collective. It is a flat organizational structure. The company re-orients and re-engages itself rapidly to bring about sustainable success.

Going ahead, breaking tradition, we will approach cultural transformation as a series of connected, coordinated, and interactive action steps.

Despite all this, there is one thing Straive is not. At least, we have not articulated it, but it is something that lies in all within the company.

We’re not afraid. Not afraid of challenges, disruptions, not afraid of trying new things, and certainly not afraid of doing what needs to be done. Straive is not afraid of failure and of admitting that it might be wrong. This is what gives us the strength to try again, to try differently, to look for newer ways to grow, and to renew the strength in itself. We are not afraid to admit to our vulnerabilities. An indomitable will to survive, face the challenge, and find a way around it is sharply defined in all of us. The pandemic has certainly brought this aspect of the company’s culture into sharp focus.

This honesty has a lot to do with how we evolved during a challenging 2020. It is in this that Straive finds the courage to accept who it is and build on that. For better or for worse, this is quintessentially Straive