What is Your REAL Company Culture? When the Reality Doesn’t Match Your Vision

Lots of industry discussion revolves around culture. Why is that exactly?

Well, culture can be such a complicated and loaded topic. At first glance, it may seem like we're all complicating it more than necessary. In reality though, it's just incredibly difficult to get it right, especially when so many people — managers, customers, vendors, etc. — are exposed to and influence it.

So while the vision of your company's culture may be crystal clear to you, does it translate to reality? Let's take a look at how to determine if your cultural reality and vision are in sync.

Crystal Clear Vision

Before you do anything else, you have to be very, very clear and detail the culture you envision. If you feel overwhelmed at the thought, consider these questions:

• How do you want people — both employees and customers — to feel when they enter your restaurant?
• How do employees greet customers? What kind of uniform do employees wear?
• How is the restaurant decorated? Is the lighting bright or dim?
• Is there music playing in the background? If so, what kind?

These questions may seem a bit strange at first glance, but thinking about things like the ambiance and décor of your restaurant may help to pinpoint how you define the intended culture. After all, the culture will influence the type of employees you hire and the type of customers you attract. If culture, customers, and employees aren't in line with or complementary to each other, you may have "cultural confusion," which can lead to major problems down the road.

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Carrie Luxem

Restaurant HR Group