Having a positive, improvement-oriented and proactive company culture is a tremendous asset. What's not to like about people proactively solving the problems they face on a daily basis to make their own work easier and the company that much more productive.
Well, there aren't any real tricks or shortcuts to achieving this kind of a culture at your workplace. As is always the case in changing culture, it won’t be easy, nor fast. However, it can be achieved through a systematic approach to continuous improvement, day in, day out. It is, after all, the individual habits and ways of working that end up forming the company culture.
Proactiveness means being able to address problems beforehand and eliminate them through preventive measures. To induce proactiveness at the workplace, you must encourage proactive behavior, preferably both at home and at work. Usually, a great starting point is to lead by example.
Ways to promote proactive behavior:
Have everyone internalize what proactiveness means
Show people the benefits of being proactive
Implement processes at work that support proactive behavior and reward people for taking initiative
Positivity is mainly defined by different aspects of a work environment. It's an outlook on life where there's a continuous belief in tomorrow being better – and the will to put in the work to make that happen. A positive culture cannot be forced but can eventually be induced by various methods that affect individuals on an emotional level.
Ways to promote a positive culture:
Encouraging people to come up with solutions, take initiative, and share ideas instead of focusing too much on current challenges or problems. Problem orientation can promote tunnel vision.
Making information and communication transparent. This promotes an environment where it's easy to share ideas, opinions, and thoughts, making people less likely to feel powerless and alone.
Celebrating mutual trust. An important part of feeling like your contribution matters is having people trust in you. Mutual trust in employer-employee relationships makes both parties enjoy the daily interaction more.
Balancing freedom and control. By giving employees more freedom, while still maintaining the right level of control, they're proven to be happier at work.
For more on these topics, please refer to our blog.