Company Vision & Culture: The Tracks on Which an Organization Runs Date:   Wednesday , June 15, 2016 Headquartered in Massachusetts, Pegasystems excels in developing Application Development, BPM, CRM, Data Integration and other software solutions to a vast clientele across niche domains like Insurance, Healthcare, Energy and others Have you ever wondered how some companies get it right, when it comes to creating an innovative, fun and collaborative work environment, while others get it wrong? How do they define a culture which mixes traditional and contemporary elements? And how is the company\'s long-term outlook, from an organizational and talent point of view, recorded and referenced regularly? In the past decade, we have seen a surge in companies looking to re-invent their vision and culture in order to promote an agile work environment with a universal appeal. We will look at how both influence, depend and evolve with each other. - Cultivating Success Multipliers: There\'s an adage which says, \'Collaboration divides tasks and multiplies success\'. Employees nowadays are choosing employers not just based on the remuneration aspect, but on other seemingly non-monetary aspects that the latter has to offer. Encouraging transparent workplace dynamics by creating a participative work culture appears to be the new mantra working for many firms. \'Innovation flows best when not inhibited\' is what is shaping the job market today. Break this down and we can see teams working cross-functionally across silos, or across multiple levels in a participative and a creative manner, with a clear view of the company\'s objectives, progressing towards its vision. Moreover, success is quantified when employees cheer for each other, boosting team morale and eliminating possible team conflicts. This also needs to be supplemented with the organization creating a healthy competitive environment with incentives for fostering better team dynamics, while not losing focus on goals and setting high performance standards. - Belong to Become: Employees will display a sense of accomplishment when a culture of synergy exists within the organization. With the global and cross-cultural presence of varied enterprises, the corporate culture can take on a \'glocal\' form. This is where the organization\'s overarching \'way of doing things\' is adapted by the regional employees to suit local preferences, thereby making employees comfortable to work in a dynamic and an agile environment. Consequently, organizations will see employees develop a sense of belonging to the organization, as they will be able to find familiar ground while they tune themselves to the organization\'s work model. The \'desire to come and work\' factor increases, employees adapt faster, increasing in productivity and efficiency. In the long run, employees will prioritize company objectives over self-goals, as they understand how their work translates into overall business success. Employees will transform into better team players and good mentors to their team members, and will go the extra mile when the situation demands. One can notice the parallel play of the company\'s vision and culture, as the title suggests. - Walking the Talk: Everyone is wired to look up to someone else and be inspired. The true meaning of \'Inspire\' is to \'influence with an idea or purpose\'. Leaders and other decision makers need to be a physical representation of the company\'s vision and culture. By walking the talk, they in turn instill the values and objectives of the organization into their respective teams. According to popular leadership consultant, John Maxwell, \'Vision\' is \'I have a dream\', and \'Culture\' is \'This is how we march\'. We see how both these entities are interwoven, fulfilling two essentially different, but similar outcomes. - People Influence Vision & Culture: Any organization\'s vision is a long-term objective; it is focused towards transforming the company and its people for the better. On the other hand, culture is something that is ingrained into the organization and defines the company\'s USP, impacting the approach to achieve its vision. Combining these with an organization\'s long term goals helps us see how both work in tandem with each other. Broader goals are broken down into short-term objectives. These short-term objectives translate to workforce requirements, which then help structure talent management practices. Effective management of talent requires a strong and clearly defined culture, while also entailing the ability to adapt to changing cultural needs without losing the essential of core culture values. - So, Why Stay On?: \'One size does fit all\', more so in the case of people management as well as the policies that govern them. According to a Deloitte survey, more than 50 large firms globally as of late 2015 have moved to a no-rating based performance system. The reason is quite obvious; employees need to be able to relate to the policies and yearn to be part of an environment that empowers them. Today\'s generation-Y, who comprise more than 50 percent of the workforce across companies, find traditional policies to be irrelevant, and not dynamic to suit their evolving requirements. There are many ways in which companies can make a change on this front - have flat organizational structures, innovative reward & recognition programs, favorable leave policies, frequent learning opportunities (like Learning & Development initiatives), open-door policies for a better employee-executive connect and regular feedback sessions. This will ensure an environment that fosters innovation, not one which inhibits it. In today\'s evolving work-scene, employees are empowered to shape the culture of a company, adopting an approach which resonates with their beliefs, to reach the organization\'s goals, and ultimately the vision. Therefore, it is critical for employers to set the context right and create a nimble workplace for a changing workforce. This in turn will attract the right talent, retain, engage and innovate.