Culture Spark: 5 Steps to Ignite and Sustain Organizational Growth

Consultant Richmond builds a case for creating a strong company culture and points to the key elements in doing so in his invigorating manual. While offering some astounding stats (a Harvard Business School study that found an average revenue growth of 682% for 12 companies with “performance-enhancing cultures” over an 11-year period), Richmond suggests firms that have reached a “plateau” are in need of “rethinking their culture.” Readers are introduced to the “Culture Transformation Model” and will learn about five steps that companies must take to achieve the right culture for them: “Define, Diagnose, Plan, Measure, Sustain.” Helpful tools range from discussion questions to the “Purpose Statement Criteria and Evaluation,” the “Culture Walk Tool,” and the “Employee Experience Mapping Tool” (the latter with a separate tool for customers). In the “Plan” section, readers will learn about engagement and talent strategies, including key interview questions and onboarding guidelines. In “Sustain,” Richmond explores why cultural change initiatives fail and introduces “best practices to drive continued success.” He also outlines specific steps to create diversity and lists perks that millennials value in the workplace. The author’s encouraging words and helpful insights make this a worthwhile book for business leaders of all stripes. (Self-published)