Cracking the culture code: the infographic

On 1 February 2017, we released a new study in partnership with Bournemouth University to help organisations understand the links between their culture and business performance. Our research uncovered that high-performing organisations and cultures have four things in common.

Find out more in our infographic below:

Click here to download a copy of our infographic.

The research among 1,200 employees working in UK-based organisations with more than 1,000 staff revealed that UK brands’ efforts to create great customer experience are being hamstrung by employees who don’t understand what the organisation stands for or buy into what the business is trying to achieve.

Almost two thirds of UK employees (64%) don’t feel their organisation has a clear purpose, and the same percentage don’t understand what their brand stands for and what makes it different. At the same time, more than half (58%) don’t feel they play a part in shaping the future of the business.

Among those brands surveyed, this lack of engagement is married to poor attitudes around customer experience: only a third of employees (32%) see those around them putting customers first in day-to-day decisions and a similarly low number (33%) believe their colleagues are good at understanding customer expectations.

Reinforcing the need for organisations to understand the links between their people, brands and customers, our research found that many employees are disconnected from their brand promise internally and as a result are failing to meet that promise with customers:

• Only two in five employees (39%) say they’re motivated by the vision for the business

• 64% don’t believe their company exists for any reason other than making money

• Less than a third (30%) see those around them putting customers before their team

• Similarly, only a third (33%) say their company does a lot to help them understand what customers need and expect.

Niall Cluley, MD at Dragonfish, comments: “One of the executive team’s main jobs is to spend time understanding the links between their people, brands and customers, and then engage the workforce with what the business is trying to achieve. However it seems that increasingly there is a disconnection between senior leaders and employees at the coalface.

“It seems marketing teams, for whom brand promise and customer experience are paramount, are failing to win over their own people. Marketing Directors need to work more closely with HR Directors to understand their culture, align their organisation, and shape the right customer experience through employee engagement.”

“When this breaks down, the tensions between external promise and internal execution can be fatal to what the brand is trying to achieve. You can spend a gazillion pounds on the best marketing campaign ever, but if your customer-facing teams are unable to share that vision effectively through creating the right customer experience, the business results are likely to be disappointing."

"The cost of this misalignment is more than a lost opportunity, particularly in large multi-site service businesses where a large proportion of staff deal with customers every day. And the upside for brands of getting this right is significant. Our research found that employees in organisations growing sales by more than 20% year on year are on average 30% more likely to understand what their brand stands for and what makes it different."

He continues: “Our research shows that now more than ever, an organisation’s culture goes beyond four walls. In an age of social media and instant communication, if there’s something amiss with your organisation’s culture, the world’s going to know about it. That means employees, customers and potential customers too. These days, if your culture stinks, your customers will feel it. And probably tell you about it publicly."

“That’s why brands need to spend more time cracking their ‘culture code’. We’ve found the most ambitious organisations in the UK are truly considering the role their people and culture can play in building a trusted brand and a positive customer experience, and as a result are unlocking untapped potential in terms of productivity, customer growth and financial performance alike.”

If you would like to discuss the findings in our infographic, call Tina Hennessey on 023 80827379 or email tina.hennessey@dragonfishuk.com