Heard of ‘culture co-creation’? Don’t worry, we hadn’t either. But once we found out what it meant, we were kicking ourselves for not coining the term! It’s all about working with your team, from the bottom up, to create a culture that reflects them – and that future employees can continue to feel aligned with.
And we’ve been doing this with our people & culture clients for nearly five years. We just didn’t have the shiny label until now. Promise.
Because when your team designs the culture, not just follows it, magic happens. Co-creating culture with employees means designing your values, behaviours, and norms as one – and bringing your inclusive and purposeful culture to life. They become your culture, rather than it being assumed by the higher up people that, let’s face it, aren’t living at the beating heart of your business every single day.
4 reasons why culture co-creation truly works.
- It dramatically boosts your team productivity & engagement.
- Engaged employees contribute an average of 21% more profit and 17% greater productivity than their less-engaged peers.
- Gallup data shows that teams in the top quartile of engagement see their earnings per share grow by up to 147% more.
- Workplaces with high psychological safety – often a result of inclusive co-creation – can experience a 50% productivity boost and a 76% increase in engagement.
- It improves retention and turnover = Substantial gains!
- Businesses with strong engagement enjoy 59% lower turnover.
- Engaged employees are 17% more likely to stay, while their disengaged counterparts cost billions in lost productivity and turnover – $450–550 billion annually in the US alone.
- And when it comes to culture fit, employees who dislike their company culture are 24% more likely to quit, and even 32% of job seekers would take a 10% pay cut to work somewhere they love.
- It positively impacts your revenue, growth & customer.
- Companies with strong cultures see up to 4× revenue growth, with studies showing 682% growth for ‘culture-rich’ businesses vs. 166% growth for ‘culture-poor’.
- A 27% increase in revenue per employee is possible when you’ve got an aspirational culture that attracts top talent and high-performing managers.
- Engaged businesses outperform disengaged ones by 202% across metrics such as shareholder return.
- Improved customer satisfaction – 89% higher – and 50% greater customer loyalty are linked to employee engagement levels.
- It boosts wellbeing & morale – happy people are your key resource!
- Happier employees take only 1/10th the sick leave of their least happy peers, and high morale can lead to 12% higher productivity.
- Elevated psychological safety reduces turnover by 27% and reduces stress by 74%.
So, where should we start? Your road to co-creation…
- Listen deeply – use facilitated workshops and reflection to help surface shared values, new ideas, and hopes for the future.
- Embed with intention – translate those ideas into everyday practices, leadership actions, and measures.
- Reflect & evolve – keep your culture adaptive and alive through regular check-ins and shared learning.
Culture isn’t a tick-box exercise – it’s built, shaped, and lived by people. And when they’re part of creating it, the results speak for themselves: more engaged teams, higher profits, lower turnover, and happier customers. But we know there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get those foundations right when you’re fighting fires everywhere else.
How MuddyWellies can help bring your culture co-creation to life.
Imagine a smooth transformation of your company culture… Not by decree from above, but through a shared journey with the people who live it every day. That’s the power of culture co-creation with employees.
Our work is tailor-made to support that journey:
Immersive from start to finish: We craft reflective, inclusive sessions where every perspective has an input. A creative workshop with no pressure, and no hierarchies – just a gentle push towards thinking differently to build an authentic culture that sticks.
Getting away from your desk: Removing the confines of their desks, allowing people to meet and get to know each other, and providing a mutual facilitator, can unlock more honesty and collective vision than just another survey! Sparking openness and creativity can drive buy-in from your people.
People strategy that’s fit for growth: Embedding co-creation – and a feeling of safety – in the process of a big transition, allows your culture to be lived, not just listened to. That improved sense of wellbeing and resilience fosters loyalty, enhances morale, and supports long-term retention.
Our process works with your business, your people, and your unique challenges – so you can co-create a culture that matters and a business that thrives.
Drop us a hello@wearemuddywellies.com to discuss your next steps.