Skip to content
iQ 360
An integrated communications agency
360
  • Home
  • Our Work
  • Capabilities
  • About
  • Join Us
  • Blog
  • Contact
We build + protect reputations
Illustration of internal and external company culture

Are your internal and external cultures in sync?

09.30.20 | by iQ Staff
  • Share via
Branding, Communications, Insights
  • Share via

The current environment, with its fragile economy, heightened social awareness, and uncertain future, has companies publicly leaning into their brand identities and, by extension, their corporate cultures. Brands are taking every opportunity to maintain a connection with customers, and, in doing so, project a strong company culture that reflects their authentic values.

It is only logical that the corporate culture a company projects externally must align with its internal culture. For example, a company whose brand embraces an active lifestyle should provide employees with fitness and wellness benefits. A company that prides itself on promoting diversity should hire and promote diverse talent.

Surprisingly, this is not always the case. Dissonance between internal and external culture manifests a host of issues that erode employee commitment and eventually lead to increasing dysfunction within organizations. This disconnect could eventually lead to a public fiasco similar to what we’ve seen at Bon Appetit Magazine and the Ellen Show, which leads to an erosion of trust and loyalty to your brand.

Company leadership must actively ensure that internal and external culture are in sync. This should be done formally, when making decisions on policies, and also informally, on a daily basis in behaviors big and small. For example, what content leadership chooses to promote via social media, or how accessible they make themselves to employees.

Below are four warning signs that your internal culture and external corporate brand are diverging.

 

Employees do not feel comfortable sharing ideas and speaking up

If your internal culture is such that employees do not feel comfortable sharing their workplace concerns with their managers, you have a looming issue. Just having the right policies in place is not sufficient where a culture of silence has taken hold. Employees may have great ideas for improving processes or increasing revenue but are afraid of being penalized for criticizing current policies or systems. If the company purports to value all voices, this is a major disconnect that is clearly a sign of dysfunction. 

 

“‘Selling’ lofty ideals as part of the brand only works if the employees feel a part of that mission.”

 

Customers receive better treatment than employees

When thinking about overall company culture, business leaders should take a keen interest in ensuring that hiring policies, benefits, and compensation are reflective of the values that the company embraces publicly. If you prioritize listening to your customers’ feedback and criticisms, but don’t extend the same privileges to your own employees, you are undervaluing your internal culture. “Selling” lofty ideals as part of the brand only works if the employees feel a part of that mission.

Employees are not able to resolve concerns through company channels

If employees are not able to voice concerns and resolve issues through workplace channels, they will find other means to make their voices heard, particularly in the face of injustice. Twitter and other social media platforms have become the default public forum for policing bad corporate behavior. Company leadership should prioritize internal HR processes that provide employees with a means to voice their concerns and be taken seriously or risk having their people take their issues public. Then, embrace these processes wholeheartedly.

The leadership team is not communicating with the rest of the company

To ensure that external culture consistently aligns with a company’s internal culture and beliefs, leadership needs to communicate internally about expectations, priorities, and decisions being made at the management level that could impact day-to-day operations. Failure to do so will result in missed opportunities to ensure that the larger team is on board when the company needs to pivot or make tweaks to messaging that is being conveyed externally. Management and employees must be on the same page when it comes to culture, and communication lapses will lead to drifting apart on both sides.

Alignment of internal and external culture should be a priority for leaders today. A thriving business is dependent on its leaders monitoring employee morale and cultivating a strong company culture. Watch for and address the warning signs of culture drift before it’s too late.

  • Share via

Top Picks for You


March 29, 2023

iQ Interview Series: Marie Kennedy on Corporate Boards and DEI →

February 15, 2023

2023 Super Bowl Commercials: Our Top Picks →

Post navigation

 What the “Kids” Want
Stand out in a Competitive Market with Cause Branding 

Categories

C-Suite
Tactics & Tips
Visual Communication
iQ Insights

Must Reads

March 11, 2020

Communicating During Times of Uncertainty →

April 15, 2020

Why Internal Communication Should be Your Top Priority →

October 9, 2019

The Real Value of Diversity in Marketing →

Stay in the know with our quarterly newsletter
Loading...
iQ 360

We believe in the power of communication to change the world

808.536.2729
Privacy Policy | ©2023 iQ 360 Inc. All rights reserved.
We are a certified minority- and woman-owned business.
iQ 360

We believe in the power of communication to change the world

808.536.2729
Privacy Policy
©2023 iQ 360 Inc. All rights reserved.

We are a certified minority- and woman-owned business.

Privacy Policy

Last updated on June 5, 2018.

 

This privacy policy explains our collection, use, disclosure, retention, and protection of personal information collected through our website, www.iq360inc.com (the “Website”).

 

  1. Information We Collect

We collect personally identifiable information about you, including your name, email address, and phone number, when you send an inquiry to us on the contact form on the Website.

 

  1. How We Use Your Information

We will use your information only to respond to you regarding the reason you contacted us. We will contact you by the means by that you have consented to us contacting you, as you indicate when you submit an inquiry to us via the Website.  We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization.  We do not send any promotional emails; however, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about changes to this privacy policy.

 

  1. Cookies

 

  1. Storage of Information

Personally identifiable information that you submit to us via the Website is processed and stored, if at all, in the United States.  We will not keep your personal data for longer than is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.  We determine the retention period based on the purpose for which the information was obtained, our legal obligations, and our technical and business requirements. 

 

  1. Your Access to and Control Over Information

You have the right to opt out of any future contacts from us at any time. You may do the following at any time by contacting us via info@iq360.inc.com or 808-536-2729:

  • See what data we have about you, if any.
  • Change/correct any data we have about you.
  • Have us delete any data we have about you.
  • Express any concern you have about our use of your data or if you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy.

  

  1. Security

We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the Website, your information is protected both online and offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

 

  1. Updates to This Statement

This privacy policy may be subject to updates.  Any material future changes or additions to the processing of personal information as described in this privacy policy affecting you will be communicated to you through an appropriate channel.  For example, we may email you to let you know about updates to the privacy policy.

 

 

Subscribe

Emails collected through this form will be used for marketing and business updates. We are the sole owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to information that you voluntarily give us. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone. You may opt out of any future contacts from us at any time by contacting us via the email address or phone number given on our website. Please see our privacy policy for full details.