When asked to define a law firm’s culture, firm leaders are quick to provide an extensive list of perks their organizations offer including firm-sponsored outings, on-site food services, yoga classes and more. We know this list because several years ago, we’d have said the same thing. And while those benefits often contribute to employee happiness, they do not define a company’s culture. Organizational culture goes far beyond perks. Rather, it is about sharing the same purpose and values, working toward similar goals, building relationships, finding meaning and pride in the work that you do and, ultimately, improving the performance of your business. Bottom line, an organization’s culture is its values in action.

It is well-established that a strong organizational culture results in more engaged and more fulfilled employees. Employees with higher rates of satisfaction remain at organizations for longer periods of time, are more productive and drive better profitability. Research also shows that companies with strong cultures outperform the competition by 20 percent, earn up to 1.7 percent more than their peer firms and perform 2.1 percent better than industry benchmarks.