A change in or development of corporate cultures will therefore have to make use of these characteristics as the load-bearing pillars.

Why it is “rewarding“ to set off on a journey of culture ­development or change

Employees and customers – the potential ones as well as the current ones – in combination with the perceptions of the public will be a decisive factor in determining the success story of a company and its reputation. The internal review and, if ­necessary, changes in the forms of cooperation can generate significant advantages and lead to a differentiation from the competition.

All of this together makes a positive and decisive contribution to competitiveness which will be expressed in the form of agility, skill, delight in reacting, and flexibility and allow, systematically and sustainably, a diversion into genuine brand value and thus into a customer as well as employer promise.

Value orientation serves simultaneously as a “lubricant and glue“ for a “community of faith and effect“ specific to the company and is therefore yet another strategic success factor. Early recognition of this advantage secures middle-term and long-term stability of the personnel base and consequently of the company in resisting short-term influences from the outside. Value-oriented companies are more stable and less vulnerable during times of crisis because the success of a company is decisively determined by its employees and their contribution. So it is important to create an environment in which development and trust are possible.

But a value-oriented corporate culture cannot end abruptly at the company‘s borders. Its effect must radiate into the company‘s environment so that a strategic fit between the values lived internally and the behavior as perceived by the outside world is produced. If this is to happen, the interests of all of the stakeholders of a company must be given consideration and the upstream and downstream links in the value chain must be examined to determine their fit with the corporate values and culture. A company which is aware of its role in society – key word here is corporate responsibility – gives itself a powerful differentiation feature in international competition. This both strengthens employer branding and increases the attractiveness of the products for a clientele which is becoming increasingly sensitive to these issues.