Two myths about organizational culture

For all the many articles that have been written about organizational culture, it’s still a very misunderstood topic. So here’s my attempt to dispel two myths that I see as pervasive — even amongst business leaders who mutter Drucker’s famous comment “culture eats strategy for breakfast” in their sleep. (Which btw, is really weird.)

Too many leaders believe that culture is casual Fridays, pizza lunches, open door policies… And while those are undeniably part of culture, they do not represent the entirety of what a culture is. Leaders who take a narrow view of what culture comprises, are missing out on a broader toolkit available to them to change the trajectory of their companies.

Anthropologists who study culture look much more expansively at how a group of people live their lives. Kinship systems, storytelling and oral tradition, art, political systems, rituals, religion, economic systems, technology…

Basically, culture is how you live. It includes everything. Yes, that too. In the context of an organization, I believe it is useful to look at 15 elements that comprise culture:

Just like with cultures in the real world, cultures in the business world are comprised of many elements and represent a rich tapestry that shapes the experience of people living in that culture. (Because the business world is actually part of the real human world. Crazy huh?) So make sure you look at the entire system as your canvas.

Simply put, no.

There is no such thing as a good culture and there is no such thing as a bad culture. Cultures are basically tools that shape outcomes. Meaning, you want to achieve something (a goal or objective) and culture can make that easier or harder.

Whether your ambition is to achieve a financial result, or realize a strategy or higher purpose, culture shapes the experience and, therefore, the behavior of the people in your organization. And their behavior will either move you closer to or further from your goal. Culture can be effective or ineffective, productive or counter-productive. But it cannot be “good” or “bad”.

There’s one important implication of this: It makes no sense to look at what another organization is doing, decide that they have a “good” culture, and then copy what they’re doing. That organization may have an entirely different ambition or purpose. Not to mention that their people may be totally different and, therefore, respond to the same stimulus with a completely different response.

Moral of the story: Culture should match your purpose and be appropriate for your people.

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