In a recent article featured on Forbes, Simplus CEO Ryan Westwood interviewed Chris Barbin, global culture officer of Appirio, on how many companies talk about, but rarely ever see, profitability from adopting new management styles that coordinate with a positive work culture.

Discussing his new e-book Why You Can’t Ignore Company Culture (And What To Do About It), Barbin shared four essential steps for identifying and establishing the groundwork for an enduring work culture.

Adapt an Effective Culture Fit

Chris Barbin explained that “leaders should look to craft a culture that fits the context of their business and has the ability to adapt as that context changes over time.”

Commit to the New Culture

Once you’ve identified your business’s culture, the work to establish it really begins. “Culture is not about parties, perks, and programs,” said Barbin. “It’s not about what a company’s office looks like, or whether a company is on the list of ‘Best Places to Work. Those are byproducts of a culture, they don’t define it.”

Strengthen Culture Bonds

Barbin compared culture bonds to organizational DNA. “They keep a company focused on what motivates employees to go above and beyond for customers and the company,” he explained. “Just as our DNA defines us and makes us unique, it does the same for companies.”

Making the Connection: Culture=Business Performance

Barbin believes in the correlation between effective work culture and financial performance. He referred to a study from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University where researchers surveyed almost 2,000 CEOs and CFOs about the importance of work culture in their business. “Nearly 80 percent of those respondents said culture was among the top five things that make their company valuable,” Barbin said.

Ryan Westwood is the CEO of Simplus, a Platinum Salesforce Partner. An experienced entrepreneur, he is also a bestselling author and speaker on entrepreneurship. Read his full interview with Chris Barbin on Forbes.

Some of Ryan’s interviews have included Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom; Tony Profit, Salesforce’s chief equality officer; Aaron Skonnard, CEO of Pluralsight; Tod Nielsen, CEO of FinancialForce; and Mark Sunday, CIO of Oracle.