Corporate Culture – And Why It Matters

Corporate culture refers to the beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions. Often, corporate culture is implied, not expressly defined, and develops organically over time from the cumulative traits of the people the company hires. (Investopedia, 2021)

Corporate culture can be a dry subject. You can research a company all you want; you’ll never know what a company’s culture is like unless you are part of it. However, you should still use your best efforts to know as much about a company’s culture if you are interested in working for it. A company’s culture, and if you fit in it, impacts your overall success.

To go beyond vague phrases like “beliefs and behaviors” and “not expressly defined”, let’s talk about corporate cultures in terms of winning and losing. Nothing speaks to winning and losing like sports. Your job is to win, but you lose – a lot. It’s an interesting dynamic, but, just like any other company, a sports team is in business to make money and college football is a money-making machine. For example, top college football programs earn their schools up to $100 million a year – a winning team makes a lot of money. A losing team does not.

This college football season, an early surprise is the breakout success of the University of Southern California Trojans (USC). USC football has a storied history that began in 1888. The Trojans have won 37 conference championships, and 11 national championships, and boast eight Heisman trophy winners. In 2009, ESPN ranked USC football as the 2nd best program in college football history. To say that USC football has historically had a winning culture is an understatement.  However, in recent years, a series of short-term coaches produced inconsistent results.

In 2021, the Trojans had a record of 4-8 overall, and went 3-6 in their conference. Dismal. As of this writing, the Trojans are 4-0 overall, 2-0 in the Pac-12, and ranked 7th in the nation – their first ranking in the Top 10 since 2017. The season is still young, but the company’s shareholders – the NCAA, the university, the television networks, the boosters, and the fans – are cautiously optimistic. That’s an amazing turnaround in one off-season. What changed? The corporate culture of course.

Just like a company losing money, USC changed management. There is a new coach, Lincoln Riley, who won 85% of his games over five years at Oklahoma (his first job as a head coach), and a new coaching staff. The vast majority of the staff is new to USC and many followed Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma or had worked with him at some point. Three of USC’s starting players, including quarterback Caleb Williams, also followed Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, which was not without controversy.

Now the vagueness of “behaviors and beliefs” starts to take shape. The company, USC football, has a 134-year history and a culture of winning but is underperforming. New blood is brought in that personifies USC’s history and culture (its behaviors and beliefs) and the match exceeds expectations. With the new coach, staff, and players, USC football’s culture already reflects the cumulative traits of the people the company hires.

Regardless of the sport, there are many stories of the “average” player languishing in mediocrity who switches teams and becomes a superstar. The opposite is also true. Star players join a new team and their shine fades. The corporate culture is the difference. Who leads the team matters. Co-workers matter. Mission matters (especially if you’re at a start-up). Every person is part of the cumulative traits that develop organically over time into a company’s overall culture.

That’s not to say that some successful companies have terrible cultures where people suffer for money or prestige or for who knows what reason. Take the time to think about what type of corporate culture in which you believe you would thrive. Research companies and find out as much about their history and reputation as you can. The more you know, the more you can visualize whether it’s the right place for you. You’ll never know until you take the field and play the game.

Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.