![\"pexels-fauxels-3184427](\"https:\/\/www.outbackteambuilding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/pexels-fauxels-3184427-300x200.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n And for the team at the mobile game development company A Thinking Ape, who received the accolade in 2018, it’s clear why. Their amazing company culture all comes down to their core values and approach to leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n “I strongly believe that if you have buy-in from your leadership team on the importance of culture and how that aligns to your business strategy, that\u2019s going to make you really successful,”<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>says\u00a0Natania\u00a0Mathany<\/span><\/strong>, Head of People and Culture at A Thinking Ape.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the latest episode of Outback Talks: The Employee Engagement Podcast, we sit down with\u00a0<\/span>Natania<\/span>\u00a0to discuss how core values and community make a big impact on employee retention, as well as the ways those elements contribute to A Thinking Ape’s award-winning culture.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to a survey by SHRM and Globoforce<\/span><\/a>, 47% of Human Resources leaders said employee turnover and retention are their top challenges. Replacing former employees costs your company both time and\u00a0<\/span>money\u00a0<\/span>and affects<\/span>\u00a0company culture \u2013 with employees constantly in and out the door, it’s inevitably difficult to cultivate a cohesive sense of community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It’s simple:\u00a0<\/span>engaged employees<\/span><\/a>\u00a0are more likely to stay in their jobs. In fact, businesses with teams of highly engaged workers have 59% less turnover,\u00a0<\/span>according to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace Report<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, as a business, what key principles can you apply to ensure your employees stay engaged, enthusiastic, and \u2013 most importantly \u2013 onboard? Natania shares the three keys to success\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span>\u00a0A Thinking Ape.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Oftentimes, when people think of company culture, they think of things like beer on tap and a ping-pong table in the common room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But,\u00a0Natania\u00a0says, culture isn’t really about perks, pints, and games. It’s about\u00a0<\/span>core values<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Culture, to me, is about people living the values of the organization,”\u00a0<\/span><\/i>she explains.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0“It\u2019s how the company shows up every day and the people who make it up inside. It\u2019s about the environment that the company creates for its employees to show up every day being their best self and support each other to be better.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n A Thinking Ape has four core values:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “We use these values as the lens and the filter for our decisions,”\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Natania<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0continues.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0“We give people a lot of trust and ownership over their work, we encourage our teams to engage in wonderful arguments or healthy debate. We really like to expose our blind spots and talk about failures. It\u2019s common practice here that we do postmortems\u00a0on things that went wrong and didn\u2019t work so that we can use it as a learning tool for our people to grow, which is\u00a0<\/span><\/i>actually a<\/span><\/i>\u00a0great segue to our Keep Growing value. We believe\u00a0<\/span><\/i>in\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and encourage growth across the organization on a company, team, and individual level.”\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Core values and company culture are the foundation of a successful organization. A strong culture acknowledges that employees are the most important asset a company has \u2013 and that they are the magic ingredient for continued success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ultimately,\u00a0<\/span>connecting with others is\u00a0<\/span>the basis for creating a community and, subsequently, culture.<\/span>\u00a0In fact,\u00a0<\/span>according to the Harvard Business Review<\/span><\/a>, close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by 50% and people with a friend at work are seven times more likely to engage in their tasks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “People want to be a part of a community w<\/span><\/i>here they can help each other, they learn from each other, and are part of something bigger than just themselves,”\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Natania<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0says.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0“It’s about that human connection piece, creating an environment where people feel they can be authentic and true to who they are, and they can be learning and growing. I think if you can build those types of practices within your company culture, it definitely has a direct impact on retention.”\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n For A Thinking Ape \u2013 well-known for the chat platforms they build within their games \u2013 there’s an interesting parallel between the communities they foster in their games and the emphasis that the team places on their in-office community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Our mission is about building communities and most immediately, those are the player communities in our games,”\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Natania\u00a0says<\/span><\/strong>, adding that they’ve had players who’ve met in-game that have gone on to get married and also some who have rallied together to help a fellow player in need after a natural disaster.\u00a0<\/span>“There\u2019s been some amazing things that have happened. I personally love our mission because I feel like it\u2019s a great way for us to demonstrate community building in so many ways. We can look at our products and see the cool things that are happening within our game and then we can look inward in our organization. We work\u00a0really hard\u00a0to align our goals so that we\u2019re all working towards the same outcome. And a lot of that has influence over our products, but also the environment that we\u2019re rallying together and creating here internally.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n According to\u00a0<\/span>Natania<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>one of the best ways to encourage community and live your company\u2019s core values is\u00a0to ensure that<\/span>\u00a0your employees have a safe space to create in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “It\u2019s all about creating a space, in my opinion, based on trust and ownership, flexibility, and vulnerability,”\u00a0<\/span><\/i>she says.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0“So, by creating a safe space for people, they can feel they have control over their work, their growth paths, and that they can make mistakes without fear of retribution and they\u2019re going to be rewarded for giving you feedback. That creates a really interesting and challenging environment for people.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n H<\/span>ow can you ensure that you\u2019re building that type of culture?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Natania<\/span>\u00a0makes a few suggestions:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At the end of the day<\/span>, building a great corporate culture goes back to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>leadership.\u00a0<\/span>The leaders of your company can have the largest effect on company culture in their responsibility to lead by example and encourage the creation of the company\u2019s values and culture. They\u2019ve got to embody the change they want to see.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAll of this really started with the commitment from our founders to placing a lot of emphasis and [putting] resources into carrying out and building and sustaining an awesome culture,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Natania<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0says.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u201cTheir commitment to that has been key to our success.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n For further support on how to keep your employees engaged, get in touch with our team to learn about our team building, training, and coaching solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n Yasmine Shemesh:<\/span><\/i><\/strong> Welcome back to Outback Talks: The Employee Engagement Podcast. This podcast is produced by Outback Team Building & Training, a leading team building, training, and consulting provider for organizations across North America. I\u2019m your host, Yasmine Shemesh, and on today\u2019s show we have a very special guest joining us from the mobile game development company, A Thinking Ape. Natania Mathany is the Head of People and Culture at A Thinking Ape and she sat down with me to talk about employee retention and how it relates to company culture and community.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n YS:<\/span><\/i><\/strong> Thank you so much for joining us on the show today, Natania.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Natania Mathany:<\/span><\/i><\/strong> My pleasure! Thank you for having me.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n YS:<\/span><\/i><\/strong> How\u2019s your day going so far?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n NM:<\/span><\/i><\/strong> I have nothing to complain about. It\u2019s beautiful outside.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n YS:<\/span><\/i><\/strong> Yes it is. It\u2019s almost like summer time. So, you work at the mobile game development company, A Thinking Ape. First of all, can you just tell me a little bit more about what the company is all about?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n
Listen to the podcast or continue reading for a summary of the discussion,\u00a0<\/span>where we touch on topics including<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
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When your business is named Most Admired Corporate Culture Winner, you know you’re doing something right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nHow Core Values Define Company Culture\u00a0<\/a><\/h3>\n
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\nBuilding Community Through Human Connection\u00a0<\/a><\/h3>\n
\nCreating a “Safe Space” for Your Employees\u00a0<\/a><\/h3>\n
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\nLearn More About Employee Engagement\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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