Heather Newill considers the benefits of ‘employer branding’
How often have you used or heard the phrases “It’s a poisoned chalice!” or “I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole!” in reference to a particularly difficult job on offer in a cultural organisation? Not surprisingly, such positions are very difficult to fill.
In global business the war for talent is as ferocious as ever and the companies with the best reputations will inevitably attract the best people to come and work for them. The cultural sector is no different. Building a strong market position is not just about spending huge sums of money on buying good PR and creating attractive corporate branding. It is about building an organisation that displays a strong personality and is rich in corporate soul. How organisations perceive themselves, how others perceive them and how they want to be perceived by others are all key factors in creating and perpetuating positive imagery and an appealing reputation as an employer of choice. The more integrated the three separate perspectives, the stronger and more consistent the organisation.
Our values at Friedlander Sachs will resonate with many cultural organisations:
Teamwork - The power of ‘we’
Quality - Delivering excellence
Innovation - The courage to think differently
Passion - Positive energy; positive attitude
Integrity - Dedication to what is right and effective
Globality - How we work and who we are.
The way an arts organisation is perceived both externally by its stakeholders and internally by its employees is critical to its success. Its reputation externally will rely on factors like the quality and accessibility of a performance, how well it promotes
itself and the price point at which it is competing. The way it operates internally and the effectiveness and quality of its people will often be overlooked. Yet it is vital that the internal culture of an organisation is aligned with its external positioning in order to deliver excellence through its people and win their loyalty. In contemporary business language this is known as ‘Employer Branding’ and is about winning the hearts and minds of employees by connecting them to the organisation’s vision and values. An internal brand strategy can significantly alter the outward perception of an organisation as an employer and will increase its competitive advantage in attracting the most talented people.
An effective way to establish the basis for an employer branding strategy is to identify a set of core values that reflect your aspirations and the way in which you wish to work, communicate and engage with both colleagues and customers. In marketing-speak, think of it as your first ‘brand promise’, which should illustrate how you wish to be perceived and what people can expect to find when working with you.
Most cultural organisations have a mission statement and an artistic vision, usually the foundation stones for funding applications, but how many have a set of values that its employees could recite if stopped in the corridor? And even if they could, are they just words on the wall, written by the Executive team and worthless without the buy-in from each individual in the organisation? Values are linked to vision. They are the glue that holds the organisation together, around which the behaviours and key competencies of employees are defined. An innovative organisation needs to attract people with similar DNA who are willing to take risks, experiment and push the boundaries. Even in the finance and technical functions, there has to be room for a role that supports the creative values.
To define your value proposition and, critically, what each value means to each member of your organisation, it is essential to go through an inclusive process. Words mean different things to different people so to reach common understanding, set aside a morning for your whole team to list the values that reflect the way you operate (larger organisations may need a facilitator). Then list the values of organisations that you all admire. Find a few that everyone agrees on, then, to ensure that everyone understands the exact meaning of the words, ask each person to draw a picture of each value – a hilarious, but extremely valuable exercise! Finally, when the words are accepted and understood by everyone, work on short definitions to describe what they mean to all of you.
Once you have set your values, adopt them as your own. Add them to your website, your email templates and your brochures. Ensure that they become part of your company’s culture and then build your business and reputation around them.
Heather Newill is Practice Director, Arts, Entertainment and Media, for Friedlander Sachs, an agency specialising in Executive Search and Human Capital Consulting. t: 020 7299 8132;
e: heathernewill@eu.spherion.com