Four tips you can use today.

Company culture is usually defined and set by the leadership within  the business. Their philosophies, beliefs and values establish the kind  of environment that dominates in the workplace.

However, these aren't the only factors that go into developing  company culture — individual managers, key players in the office and  even the tools that employees use can have influence.

Office technology is one of those tools. The decisions IT managers  make about technology purchasing can not only improve productivity but  influence the culture of the organization. Here are some ways to get  started.

Use Apps and Tools to Improve Communication

Email can feel overwhelming and hard to sort through. As a result,  simple questions or quick communications get lost in crowded inboxes.  Offering chat apps like Skype or Slack facilitates instant, open  communication across the whole organization — even individuals working remotely.

Chat apps can help people communicate outside of meetings or set  calls. They also give employees a quick way to share notes, questions or  ideas, and keep everyone from getting buried in their email.

Keep Your Office Technology Collaborative

You can use cloud technology to foster a stronger sense of community  between co-workers — especially between employees in different areas or  departments. Storing files in the cloud with tools like Dropbox or  Google Drive means employees can share and exchange information freely  and even work in the same documents simultaneously.

This allows for more efficient collaboration, as team members don't  need to manually find, share and send important files or documents  before someone else can use them.

Support Devices That Enable Flexible Work Setups

Do you want to promote a culture that values flexibility?  Standardizing on the right types of devices can make it possible for  employees to easily work remotely or use flex-time. That includes things  like laptops for use at home, along with smartphones and tablets, so  employees can work at their normal capacity when away from the physical  office.

This doesn't just benefit current employees. If the company is able  to support team members working from anywhere, then the company can hire  from anywhere, too. When you're no longer limited by location, you can  simply hire the best talent, regardless of where they live.

Encourage Cost-Effective Professional Development

Supporting professional development helps create a culture that  values skill building, education and advancement. However, sending  employees to various programs and training can get costly. What is the  IT manager's role here?

Office technology can make it easier — and cheaper — for your company  to create a culture that emphasizes professional development. For  example, the IT team could investigate and recommend an e-learning  platform or online courses. You could even help employees enroll in free  course platforms to learn specific skills. Try something like Coursera,  which provides access to real university courses for free, or Alison,  which offers a number of free courses from various sources.

Office technology can heavily influence company culture and help it  evolve. By consciously choosing the kind of tech you want in the  workplace, you can affect how the culture around your office changes and  develops over time.