As someone once said, culture eats strategy for breakfast.
Culture is the tacit social order of an organization: It shapes attitudes and behaviors in wide-ranging and durable ways. Cultural norms define what is encouraged, discouraged, accepted, or rejected within a group. When properly aligned with personal values, drives, and needs, culture can unleash tremendous amounts of energy toward a shared purpose and foster an organization’s capacity to thrive.
Of course, that’s a little cold, so let’s warm it up with some context.
Company culture can more simply be described as the shared ethos of an organization. It’s the way people feel about the work they do, the values they believe in, where they see the company going and what they’re doing to get it there. Collectively, these traits represent the personality — or culture — of an organization. Culture needs to be managed, it is everyone's responsibility in the company but it starts with the leadership.
⛔ Company culture is not:
Your core values - Core values are certainly part of your culture, but until you put them into action they’re just words on paper. In fact, core values can negatively impact culture if they aren’t adhered to.
Your perks and benefits - Ping pong tables, vacations, rewards, and freebies can be great, but perks and benefits are not a substitute for strong company culture.
<aside> ⬅️ Go back to People & Culture
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