Humans are the contributors of any organization. Effective leadership, culture and appropriate levels of staff engagement contributes to the achievement of organizations’ outcomes. While, “toxic” work culture often contributes to high rates of employee turnover, or even affect organization’s results. This is very common even in shipping industry. Thus, what does an ideal organizational culture look like? And, how can we embed sustainability into organizations?
The importance of organizational culture
The term of culture in the organizational context encompasses values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization. Organizational culture is a key component in organizations and has an impact on the strategic, sustainable direction of them. It represents the collective values, beliefs and principles of organizational members and is a product of factors such as history, product, market, technology, strategy, type of employees, management style, and national culture; culture includes the organization’s vision, values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, environment, location, beliefs and habit. In other words, organizational culture will encompass as organization’s values, visions, working style, beliefs and habits.
5 ways to embed sustainability in organizational culture
- Foster commitment
It is of high importance that commitment is fostered at the top. Shipping organizations need to develop and implement a framework to identify the social and environmental footprint of their supply chains. These results can establish clear priorities by integrating the sustainability agenda into the core organization’s strategy.
- Measure performance
Keeping turnover within acceptable ranges is important for ensuring a vibrant and progressive organization. Excessive turnover negatively impacts organizations’ continuity, the workforce’s ability to deliver organization’s outcomes, and increases costs as well.
- Ensure workforce engagement, development and safety
Focus on the workforce includes demographics, generational shifts, attitudes and expectations, the changing skills base and trends both in learning and education. Strong staff satisfaction and engagement comes starts from the managers who manage sustainable staff engagement, health and well-being.
- Adopt a diversity and inclusion strategy
Organizational activities should not impact human rights negatively. Respect for human rights contributes to an environment where people may live with freedom and dignity. A health organizational culture is inclusive one, where ideas are heard, and collaboration is leveraged. This enables sustainable development and prosperity.
- Build professional resilience
Stress at work may not be a modern-day phenomenon, but it does sometimes feel the pressures of technology, cooperation. The need for continuous development affects those working in shipping organizations as well. Therefore, acquiring a clear understanding of resilience may help identify staff’s triggers, increase self-awareness and emotional intelligence; reduce stress and staff turnover; improve mental and emotional effectiveness; increase physical energy.
Organizations – without excluding the shipping ones – need to generate sustainable results in order to react to the social and environmental challenges, but also to be commercially successful and valuable for their existing and potential charterers, vendors, business partners and stakeholders.