The key to success is a company's culture

A study by researchers at Western Sydney University and The University of Newcastle has emphasised the importance of creating and maintaining a strong work culture in companies in Australia’s manufacturing sector, and the benefits of implementing more environmentally sustainable practices.

Funded through the ARC’s Discovery Projects scheme, the Chief Investigators in the study, Professor Katherine Gibson, Dr Stephen Healy and Associate Professor Jenny Cameron with Research Project Manager Dr Joanne McNeill, interviewed ten New South Wales-based manufacturers.

A mix of successful manufacturers were surveyed, including family businesses, multi-nationals, cooperatives and social enterprises, from those who had been established within the last five years, to those who have been operating for over 100 years.

The researchers note that manufacturing is rarely discussed in cultural terms. However, they found that all the participating companies referred to their distinctive ‘culture’ of operation and articulated specific commitments that indicate a forward-looking culture beyond what could be considered ‘business as usual’.

A key finding from their research is that to have a strong culture, company growth has to be carefully considered—and that decent jobs and an inclusive economy is created by companies that see workers as valued contributors, and factories as sites of inclusion.

The research also highlighted how a smaller ecological footprint is achieved by companies seeing themselves as contributing to environmental care and repair in the long-term, which includes producing high-quality and durable products, viewing waste reduction as an efficiency, and considering product circularity—that is, a commitment to extending the product’s lifecycle and stewardship across the supply chain.

	THE MANUFACTURERS IN THE STUDY EXPRESSED A RESPONSIBILITY TO MUCH MORE THAN INCREASING PROFITS AND MAXIMISING RETURNS. THIS COMMITMENT TO BUSINESS MOTIVATIONS BEYOND PROFIT WAS DISPLAYED ACROSS ALL THE ENTERPRISE TYPES.

 

Image: Specialist vehicle components. Image Credit: Varley Group.