Strategy to Improve Employee Performances through Strengthening Work Culture via The Service Standards Program at PT. Bank SUMUT

Abstract

Organizational performance improvement is strongly influenced by the extent to which employees internalize work culture and comply with formalized service standards. This study examined the effect of strengthening organizational work culture and implementing standardized service procedures on employee performance at PT Bank Sumut. The research adopts a descriptive quantitative approach involving 126 employees selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on dimensions of organizational culture and service excellence principles. The analytical method used is multiple linear regression. The findings indicate that strengthening work culture has a positive and significant effect on employee performance (β = 0.421, p < 0.05), and implementation of service standards also shows a positive and significant effect (β = 0.387, p < 0.05). Simultaneously, both variables contribute to an adjusted R² value of 0.582, meaning 58.2% of the variation in employee performance can be explained by improvements in work culture and service standards. The study concludes that the alignment of organizational culture with service standardization creates behavioral consistency and performance accountability. The implications highlight the necessity of leadership involvement, regular competency development, continuous evaluation, and reward systems aligned with service compliance. Future research may explore longitudinal effects or comparisons across public and private financial institutions. This study extends organizational culture theory in a regional banking context.