What's the smell of your organization?

Our adorable ex CEO, MR SM Roy, often used to quote this fantastic example.

A man at the New Delhi Railway Station relishes his favorite chocolate and throws the wrapper carelessly wherever he likes. The same man goes to the nearest Metro Station and again consumes another chocolate but this time chooses to find a dustbin to throw the wrapper. Or he chooses to keep the wrapper in his pocket till he finds a dustbin. It's the same man but what makes him behave differently? It’s about the 'smell of a place', he used to quote.

The example is so relevant when we talk about Organization Culture. Employees walk in and walk out of the organization every day but what differentiates the same employees is their passion. The passion which they carry to work differs from one organization to the other. 

Each one of us is passionate about something and feel a sense of belonging and what is hugely responsible for this is the organization culture. 

Some organizations are mistaken to believe that fat packages are great motivators. Yes, it may lure them to begin with but not to keep their passion going. The money will stop to excite them after sometime if they don’t feel a sense of belonging and fulfillment while walking into the office each day. They will feel disillusioned and negative and even spread it to their colleagues. And then they most likely will look to work for a fatter package elsewhere.

If we were to follow some organizations which offer a great culture, there are some clear trends. These organizations are about people, their comforts and thrive on the interactions between them. These interactions happen at all levels vertically and horizontally. The culture is open and friendly and when I say 'friendly' it means people are really willing to help. So you don’t really have a bunch of hostile people always feeling pressurized to compete with each other but a lot of helpful people who walk out of the office contented  each day having helped a few of their known and unknown colleagues. The organization provides opportunities for people to help each other irrespective of their designations. These are people who feel cared for as they can clearly see their role and growth in the bigger picture of the organization. And the organization cares about their passion, interests and growth. Employee friendly policies and practices are based on these trends. And a great culture makes an irresistible smell of the organization.