Agency Culture: Open Communication

Culture, work culture, agency culture, office culture, cancel culture, yogurt culture; it seems like culture has been a buzzword in business circles for at least the past decade.

In doing research, we found an article from 2016 that said it was already meaningless, from years of empty rhetoric from leadership "gurus" and HR rank and file.

Of course, another article from the past year outlines nine types of company cultures to analyze and create a roadmap for businesses to build a framework to grow an organic and authentic company culture, but only if they follow these rules that are set in stone.

We faced a dilemma: do we toss out any talk of Merchant North's company culture for fear of adding to the meaninglessness of the word culture? Or lean in and toss another 1000 words on the pile and risk losing its relevance alongside the multitude of other company culture connoisseurs?

Like the tower in Pisa, we’re going to lean in. Rather than writing a single article of 1000 words, let’s double, perhaps triple, the number of agency culture articles.

Like explaining a punchline, it tends to ruin the joke, but we can look at some aspects that make Merchant North an excellent place to work.

Open Communications

Open communication, as a business concept, refers to the free flow of information and ideas within an organization characterized by transparency, honesty, and active listening and is essential for the smooth functioning of any organization.

It helps to create an environment of trust where we feel comfortable being open and honest.

When you can trust the leaders and management, you are more likely to be engaged and committed to the agency's goals and objectives. That trust in leadership also promotes a culture of transparency and accountability, which helps build trust with everyone in the organization.

We encourage active listening, constructive feedback, and open-mindedness, which all build trust. Trust in everyone is demonstrated through people valuing our ideas and opinions. When you feel heard, you are more likely to share.

It's a positive reinforcement cycle that reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings as we feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback. It's a more effective way to communicate that smoothly addresses confusion or misunderstandings before they escalate.

That clarity improves decision-making and leads to better collaboration between everyone agency, which ultimately leads to more creative campaigns and better business results.

OK, enough about us. Perhaps your agency's communication style isn't as collaborative, trusting, or open. We can help.

Fostering open communication within an agency requires a combination of strategies, and if you follow these rules by letter to create a roadmap for businesses to build a framework to grow organic and authentic company culture, but only if you follow these set-in-stone rules, you too, can have outstanding and open communication in your agency!

Apologies, but seriously, practice these, and it will help if open communications haven't come naturally in your agency.

Lead by example: Leadership needs to want an agency that embraces open communications. We're privileged to have a leadership group who are honest and transparent in their communications.

Encourage open dialogue: Create opportunities for everyone to share their thoughts and ideas, whether it's through regular meetings or a suggestion inbox, or an open-door policy where everyone feels comfortable speaking up. When people speak up, it's with the knowledge they are heard through active listening and receive a thoughtful response.

Foster a blame-free culture: We're wired to find the cause of a mistake. But when there is a reflex to find the reason and criticize, people become protective and more likely to either not acknowledge errors or try to cover up or deflect the blame. Adopt a mindset of kindness and growth. Thinking of mistakes as learning opportunities encourages people to raise errors with the knowledge that they're more likely to receive a helping hand than a hurtful word.

Team building: Strong relationships and trust among team members are essential for open communication. Find or create opportunities for everyone to get to know everyone else. We find official and unofficial ways to get together.

Tech Talks Too: We spend time in the office, in our home office, or my secret office near the pub 🤫, but everyone is just a few clicks away. Create clear messaging guidelines, but nothing too onerous that stifles a chat amongst colleagues.

Two-way Feedback: Feedback sessions can go both ways. When you work for Merchant North, you feel free to share feedback with your managers and leadership group. It's heard, considered, and acted on when appropriate.

Communication Training: When people hear open communications, open dialogue, and two-way feedback, it may cause people to think it's open season to "get something off my chest, and if you don't like it, it's because I'm too real for you." However, building an agency that embraces communication means people must understand active listening, proper conflict resolution, and other respectful communication aspects. There are excellent coaching groups that your agency can hire to provide training to prevent misunderstandings.

Encourage diversity and inclusivity: We create space for different thoughts and perspectives, see things from different angles, and build better understanding in our conversations.

We believe in the Merchant North Agency culture manifesto so much that we can call it culture, vibes, professional customs, laws, habits, or the departmental dialogue of denizens. It's palpable even if the words we use to quantify it have lost their punch.

If you're looking to change agencies for a better culture, we're always interested in hearing from talented people. Feel free to send your CV to careers@merchantnorth.com.

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