It is conventional wisdom that company culture impacts organizational performance. Over 90% of 1,600 executives surveyed said that culture was important or very important. Yet only 16% believe their own company culture was where it needed to be.

After working with high performing companies for almost two decades and applying organizational research, we have adopted the following framework to guide clients through a process of developing a vibrant high performance culture.

Involved employees. In this era of transparency, employees want to be empowered to work across silos and solve underlying problems. Employee engagement happens in a constructive environment where personal development is enabled and learning is valued.

Strong mission. A strong mission is lofty, ambitious, and sometimes audacious. A strong mission provides the emotional context for customer and employee engagement. It acts as a guiding light, through good times and hard times.

Active values. A clearly defined set of values that are consistently and visibly lived by leaders and managers alike inspire employees to behave appropriately and make good decisions. Employees gravitate to leaders who are authentic and true to the organization’s stated values.

Adaptive intent. An organization that encourages flexibility and fact-based decision-making has prepared the organization to be agile and responsive to market opportunities and winds of change.