Finnish consultancy firm, Hofstede Insights has entered the Kenyan market offering organisations coaching packages on culture and human capital, rivaling other human resource firms offering similar services.
The consultancy firm is renowned for its research and data-driven approach in the fields of strategy and culture.
The firm has partnered with Priority Activator Consulting (PAC) to help East Africa’s corporate institutions maximize their performance.
Organisational culture affects all aspects of a business, from performance and tone to contract terms and employee benefits.
“Why is culture so important? People need to see leaders walking the talk because an office is like a family, there needs to be communication for it to work,” said Mr Okey Okere, Regional vice president Hofstede Insights.
Organisations globally are focusing on a diverse and inclusive work culture replete with ample growth and learning and upskilling opportunities for their employees.
When workplace culture aligns with employees’ values, they’re more likely to feel more comfortable, supported, and valued.
Companies that prioritize culture can also weather difficult times and changes in the business environment and come out stronger.
“Changing the atmosphere can be done by rewards and sanctions, giving and taking, to motivate employees. Recognition is more powerful than cash, and people will always seek to be recognized more for the work they do,” added Mr Okere.
In Kenya, Deloitte offers services in human capital and how to manage culture in an organization.
Changing culture thus requires change at the beliefs level, which is often substantially more difficult than changing business processes or information systems.
While race, gender, ethnicity, and sometimes age are topics of mainstream diversity culture, not many companies have fully embraced these aspects.
Cultures can persist over a long time; the origins of beliefs can go back to many generations of CEOs.
Hence this persistence of culture and belief systems over time sometimes makes it difficult to diagnose, name, and change them and that is where these firms come into play.
