Why the 'C' factor is important in the changing workplace scenario in times of coronavirus

The ongoing coronaviurs pandemic has forced organisations to rapidly shift their ways of working and bring in quick recalibrations. Process, policies, protocols have had tectonic shifts. Managing teams that are now spread across cities, states and even countries, is no longer exotic. The definition of “close-knit” is permanently modified.

With more than two months of deft remote working, companies now know that remote working is no longer anathema. But the question is whether the existing organisational culture is poised to support the workforce. While many moments of truth – both personal and professional – emerge for every leader, newer paradigms of engagement are the absolute need of the day.

Protecting and nurturing the company’s culture amidst all this vuca-ness, is a worrying factor, causing talent managers to spend sleepless nights. As far as the human eye can see, there appears to be nothing like a post-COVID era in the near future.

Anxiety, frustration, anger and disengagement is rampant among employees who are frantically handling the many changes. It is, therefore, critical that organizations and most importantly, leaders apply foresight to help a culture of positivity and growth thrive, in the path ahead.

In the past decade, Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) has come to be seen as a crucial, strategic vertical in organisations that are focused on high level business outcomes. Using a five commandment framework, leaders from diverse and inclusive companies can build a robust workplace culture that will help people weather the storm. The 5 Cs of Communication, Coherence, Consistency, Commitment and Creativity if followed with passion and direction, will go a long way in ensuring that employees experience the most crucial of all emotions – meaning-making in their changing workplace.

Communication: In a scenario when everyone is working remote, the biggest challenge is communication, seamless connectivity and employee engagement. The HR function is going beyond social media led games and interactions to keep the employees engaged. EY, one of the 2019 Top 10 in Working Mother & Avtar’s Best Companies for Women in India (https://www.avtarinc.com/best-companies/best-companies-for-women-2019) activated a high-touch communications approach to ensure leadership stayed connected with teams and answered their questions in a timely manner.

Coherence: One of the most important asks by employees is to experience a coherent culture. Coherence describes an organisation whose strategies, policies and expressed communication, fits in with the expressed culture. When an organisation espouses a culture of inclusion, the actions emerging out of such a decision need to align with the intent. Staying coherent with its value system of continuous employee engagement, both at work and beyond, Accenture, has stepped up support through its Working Parent Employee Resource Groups (ERGS). In addition to holding its regular webcasts to check in on parents, they have created a virtual "kids corner" that offers virtual babysitting for Accenture kids.

Commitment: Sometimes a company can create a sizeable management advantage simply by being persistent. Developing great managers is almost a ritual at GE. The business giant’s leadership advantage isn’t the product of a single breakthrough, but the result of a long-standing and unflagging commitment to improving the company’s management stock quality. This is a commitment that regularly creates new management approaches and methods.

Consistency: Consistency has been identified as one of the pillars needed to drive Inclusion. Consistency is about ensuring stability, continuity and compatibility of existing processes, systems and organisational norms. Hitachi has come up with a policy named “consistency policy” which makes sure that consistency is maintained in terms of communication – using a common language that everyone can understand. Even when hiring people of diverse backgrounds, consistent training is offered, to make sure everyone embraces the common cultural moorings.

Creativity: This often requires a mindset shift. People have to hold confidence in the idea that working together in an inclusive environment helps create better solutions faster. It requires being open, listening to new perspectives, taking advice from external sources and coming together to be more imaginative and innovative in order to help build the brand and stand out in a competitive landscape. Google encourages their employees to spend time on their personal projects every week to foster creativity. Even during the pandemic, these projects have been functioning and the coming together of a diverse team to make this happen creates a cultural energy, which is entirely unique!

The 5Cs of culture creation - Communication, Coherence, Consistency, Commitment and Creativity – are often associated not just with organisational well-being but also personal wellness. It is the leader’s prerogative to ensure that the arsenal of culture is used very effectively during a crisis time such as this, to protect human potential from distractions and unleash its full value.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)