Why is Company Culture So Important for Successful Startups in 2022?

Startup culture is the shared beliefs, values, and thoughts that shape how people work. The culture created is usually a reflection of the founding members personalities and passion. Startups are thought to be more innovative and fast paced and tend to be smaller allowing employees to build relationships and have a free exchange of thoughts and ideas and have less of a hierarchical management system. Engaged employees are likely to be more productive. A startup often requires long hours and the wearing of multiple hats within the company until the company grows so a passion for the project and a positive environment are so important to attract and retain employees.
Corporate culture is a more structured and formal approach. Corporations tend to be larger and have set hierarchy and methods for onboarding and for how to make things happen within the company. For these reasons change within corporations tends to be slower and go through many steps before it can be implemented.

In 2019, 11 out of 12 startups failed according to The Global Startup Genome annual report which is why building a strong and positive company culture that allows its employees to feel heard, valued and remain positive from the beginning is so important. The important elements of a thriving company culture are the feeling that growth within the company is possible, a positive environment that has open communication and values creative problem solving.
A culture is more than a business strategic goal. The company’s goals provide a map for growth while a culture is how employees express and act out those goals according to the company’s values and core beliefs. Communication between employees and a mutual respect for coworker’s experience and talents are the most important aspects to build the positive environment for a flourishing company to have.

Startups fail everyday due to financial issues, marketing problems, and a lack of clear goals. But by building a positive culture as a foundation of a startup can help attract the right people with the same values and excitement for the project. The younger generation entering the workforce is said to put company culture ahead of salary when choosing where to work. Employees want to feel valued and an important part of the growth of a company.

Building a successful startup company culture involves:

1. having defined core values and hiring people who share the same goals and core values. Now more than ever there is a huge emphasis on work-life balance and having systems in place that give employees benefits and allows them to have that balance is important for the startups in 2022 and beyond.
2. Having an air of inclusivity in your company is essential for a positive environment to grow. Including employees in decision making and brainstorming sessions will foster this as well as allow employees to feel like they matter.
3. Recognizing people for achievements will help employees feel valued and like they are helping to build something in the company. This feeling will not only help build a positive environment but also help with employee retention.
4. Nurturing leadership and creativity as well as encouraging collaboration all help in creating a culture within a company that allows employees to grow, thrive and feel important.

All these things help to create a cohesive team environment and positive company culture that keeps employees happy and productive.
In the end a company culture must organically grow, and these tips must be implemented from the ground up to allow a startup to build the culture that is desired and necessary for a company to be successful in 2022 and beyond.