Corporate Culture Analysis

72% of formal culture change initiatives show no meaningful improvement in employee trust, engagement or retention. Nearly three quarters of the time, those glossy values frameworks, company conferences and culture campaigns don't achieve anything. I spoke to Professor Benjamin Laker from Henley Business School this week, and he put it simply: "Culture isn't a campaign. The more you talk about culture, the less people believe you." And it gets worse. In his research, 59% of employees said every week they saw senior leadership actions contradict stated values. I loved Professor Laker's research because it shows what *does* work: when senior leaders changed their behaviour (whether how they ran meetings, how they responded to challenge, how they made decisions) trust scores went up by 26%. Culture change is about show not tell. Read (and hear) more on this week's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dc4rexcr

Culture is everything 🙏🏾 When leaders accept or overlook poor behaviour, they implicitly endorse those actions, potentially eroding the organisation’s values and morale. To build a thriving culture, leaders must actively shape it by refusing to tolerate behaviour that contradicts their values and expectations.
 The best leaders: 
 1. Define and Communicate Core Values: * Articulate Expectations: Clearly define and communicate the organisation’s core values and behavioural expectations. Make these values central to every aspect of the organisation’s operations and culture. * Embed Values in Policies: Integrate these values into your policies, procedures, and performance metrics to ensure they are reflected in daily operations. 
 2. Model the Behaviour You Expect: * Lead by Example: Demonstrate the behaviour you want to see in others. Your actions should reflect the organisation’s values, from how you interact with employees to how you handle challenges. 3. Address Poor Behaviour Promptly: * Act Quickly: Confront and address inappropriate behaviour as soon as it occurs. Delays in addressing issues can lead to a culture of tolerance for misconduct. * Apply Consistent Consequences: Ensure that consequences for poor behaviour are fair, consistent, and aligned with organisational values. This reinforces that there are clear boundaries and expectations.
 4. Foster a Culture of Accountability: * Encourage Self-Regulation: Promote an environment where everyone is encouraged to hold themselves and others accountable for their actions. * Provide Support: Offer resources and support for employees to understand and align with organisational values, helping them navigate challenges and uphold standards.
 5. Seek and Act on Feedback: * Encourage Open Communication: Create channels for employees to provide feedback on behaviour and organisational culture without fear of reprisal. * Respond Constructively: Act on feedback to address and rectify issues. This shows that you value employee input and are committed to maintaining a positive culture.
 6. Celebrate Positive Behaviour: * Recognise and Reward: Acknowledge and reward employees who exemplify the organisation’s values. Celebrating positive behaviour reinforces the desired culture and motivates others to follow suit. * Share Success Stories: Highlight examples of how upholding values has led to positive outcomes, reinforcing the connection between behaviour and organisational success.
 7. Invest in Leadership Development: * Provide Training: Offer training and development opportunities for leaders at all levels to enhance their skills in managing behaviour and fostering a positive culture. 8. Promote Inclusivity and Respect: * Build a Diverse Environment: Create a culture that respects and values diversity. Inclusivity strengthens the organisational fabric and fosters a more collaborative and supportive work environment.

I am tired of hearing "changing a culture takes time" as an excuse to tolerate toxic work cultures. Of course, dealing with what makes the culture toxic takes time. Still, change can happen swiftly when the right leaders are put in place and actions are taken to hold individuals accountable for the toxic culture. Culture is created by higher management—leaders at the top control and direct HR and other organizational entities and systems. Cultural change cannot happen without upper management's consent and total engagement. The problem is that the leaders who have the power to change the culture often have everything to gain by keeping the status quo. Indeed, their bonuses depend on employee/company performance. Therefore, performance and profit are at the core of their leadership behaviors and decisions, regardless of the impact on employees. Here are some of the reasons why changing a toxic culture "takes so much time": 👉 Leaders say that they want to change the culture but are not ready to give up the benefits of keeping it in place 👉 Leaders don't want to put the effort and energy it takes to change the culture 👉 Leaders lack the courage to hold toxic individuals accountable for their actions 👉 Leaders fear toxic individuals 👉 Leaders' values don't align with a safe and inclusive culture 👉 Leaders say they care about employees' well-being when, in fact, their actions and decisions say otherwise 👉 HR has no power; it is at the service of leadership and, therefore, is forced to protect and serve leaders. Anti-harassment and anti-fraud policies cannot be applied adequately. There is much fake caring or, as my colleagues and I have written about, "Carewashing" in organizations. Leaders say all the right words like "employees' well-being is our priority," "we are a family," and "we are creating a positive environment." However, when it comes to making the work environment safe, their actions don't address the core of the problem: toxic individuals and behaviors. While adding positive initiatives may help create a more positive culture, it will not reduce toxicity. To illustrate, for individuals who are exposed to a toxic substance every day at work, no amount of exercise or healthy eating will make them healthy until they stop the exposure to whatever is making them sick. It's the physical equivalent of the psychological impact of a toxic workplace. Companies have a duty to act when there are physical dangers in the workplace, so why are they ignoring psychological dangers? Until laws are created forcing organizations to ensure that their employees are not exposed to toxic workplaces, nothing will change. Until leaders are held accountable for the toxic work culture they create and enable, nothing will change. Changing a toxic culture doesn't take time. It takes courage and the right leadership. Take care of yourself and the people around you 💗

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 Ok, so they are not the ONLY factor in company culture, but they are quite important!! Rituals can vary widely depending on the company's culture, goals, and the nature of its work, but they could look something like this: 👥 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐮𝐩𝐬: A brief daily meeting where team members share their priorities for the day and any obstacles they might be facing. This ritual fosters transparency, accountability, and collaboration. 🎉 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬: A weekly gathering, either virtual or in-person, where employees share their achievements from the week, no matter how small. This practice encourages recognition and appreciation among team members. 🎯 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: A monthly meeting dedicated to reflecting on the past month's successes and challenges and setting intentions or goals for the upcoming month. This ritual can help in continuous improvement and goal alignment. 🥗 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬: Regularly scheduled sessions where team members come together to share knowledge, skills, or insights, often over lunch. These can include internal presentations, guest speakers, or group discussions on relevant topics. 🎂 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬: Establishing rituals around celebrating birthdays, work anniversaries, or significant milestones. These can range from simple acknowledgments to more elaborate gatherings, emphasizing the value of each team member. 🧘♂️ 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬: Starting meetings with a minute of silence, deep breathing, or a short mindfulness exercise to center the group and reduce stress. The most effective rituals help to bring people closer. They are shared experiences, which help people to bond. If you look around, you might see that you have some rituals in place already. Consider the bonding that happens...and whether it could be strengthened. 🤔 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 👉 Always take into account diverse backgrounds and needs. 👉 Ensure chosen rituals align with the desired culture 👉 Make rituals visible and recognized within the organization 👉 Encourage active participation from all team members 👉 Rotate responsibilities for leading or organizing the rituals 👉 Decide on a regular schedule and stick to it 👉 Be open to making adjustments based on feedback By thoughtfully designing and implementing shared rituals, organizations can strengthen team bonds, enhance communication, and cultivate a positive and cohesive workplace culture 🚀 What rituals support a positive culture in your organization? Share your experiences below 🙏 #rituals #habits #workplaceculture #culture #culturematters #routines #positiveworkenvironment #positiveworkculture Image source: https://lnkd.in/e_zGe_WQ Image credit: Shane Snow

"Culture change" is the biggest lie in organizational transformation. Here's what actually happens: You run workshops. You print posters. You train people on new values. Six months later, behavior looks exactly the same. Why? Because you've got the causality backwards. Culture follows structure. Not the other way around. Craig Larman captured this in his Laws of Organizational Behavior. The first law: Organizations are implicitly optimized to avoid changing the status quo of middle- and first-level manager positions and power structures. Read that again. Your organization isn't resisting change because people are difficult. It's resisting change because it's designed to resist change. The structure, rewards, and processes are all optimized to preserve existing power. Want to change culture? Change the structure. Want people to collaborate? Remove the structural barriers that make collaboration expensive. Want innovation? Create Product Groups with real P&L ownership and decision-making authority. Want customer focus? Merge customer-facing and product development units so everyone shares the same measures of success. Jay Galbraith's Star Model shows this clearly: Strategy, Structure, Processes, Rewards, and People practices must be in harmony. Change one without the others, and the system snaps back. Stop running culture workshops. Start redesigning your organization. The culture you want will emerge from the structure you create. #SimplificationOfficers #OrganizationalChange

One of the biggest myths I’ve heard in boardrooms? That culture change is slow, expensive, and nearly impossible. Here’s the truth: Culture doesn’t have to be a 10-year journey. It doesn’t have to involve flashy rebrands, offsites in Bali, or million-dollar consultants. Most cultural transformation fails because we treat it like a campaign not a capability. In reality, meaningful change happens when you: ✅ Shift everyday behaviours ✅ Redesign what gets rewarded ✅ Equip your middle managers to lead culture, not just enforce rules ✅ Align change with business priorities, not run it as a side project I’ve seen multi-national companies shift deeply embedded behaviours in just a few months without adding headcount or budget. It’s not magic. It’s method. The key? Stop trying to “install” culture from the top down. Instead, create the conditions for it to emerge through ownership, alignment, and consistent reinforcement. Culture isn’t what you say on your website. It’s what your people do when no one is watching. Curious to hear from you: Have you ever seen a cultural shift that was faster or more affordable than expected? What made it work? #OrganizationalCulture #ChangeManagement #FutureFit #Leadership #Transformation #CultureChange #PeopleStrategy

Building a strong company culture is a continuous process. It requires more than just defining values and hanging posters on the wall. It demands active participation and a genuine commitment to two-way communication. Too often, organizations fall into the trap of "top-down" culture building. Leaders dictate the values, but employees are left feeling unheard and disconnected. True culture change happens from the bottom up. Think of it like this: you can say you value transparency, but if you look down on people who speak up, your culture will be anything but transparent. Actions speak louder than words. So, how do we build cultures that truly resonate? • Involve employees in the process from the start. • Create safe spaces for open and honest feedback. • Empower individuals to contribute to shaping the culture. • Be consistent in your actions, demonstrating the values you preach. The result? A workplace where people are engaged and genuinely invested in the company's success. Yes, building a culture of trust and transparency takes time and effort. But the payoff is immense.

Every organization says its values matter. But the real question is whether anyone can see them. This visual captures a truth leaders often overlook. Values do not live in posters or documents. They live in the everyday cultural practices that surround people long before they read a single sentence about what the organization stands for. ↳ Symbols show up in the way you brand your work, the stories you celebrate, even the small signals people receive when they walk into a room. ↳ Heroes reveal themselves in who gets acknowledged, who is admired, and whose behavior becomes the informal standard. ↳ Rituals are the repeated moments that shape how people feel when they gather, decide, reflect, or close a year together. ↳ Practices are the actions that quietly reinforce what is truly acceptable and what is not. When these layers align, values become tangible. People experience them without needing explanations. When they do not, values start dissolving into aspiration rather than reality. This time, so close to the end of the year is a natural moment to notice the rituals that hold your culture together. The way teams close projects, express gratitude, celebrate progress, or take a pause before stepping into a new season. These small moments often reveal more about your actual values than any formal statement ever could. So if you want stronger values next year, do not start with rewriting them. Start with understanding the cultural practices that already shape how your people think, feel, and behave. That is where values either live or fade.

𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭—𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐲 ! 💡 Sometimes, it’s the simple things—like a morning cheer or a quick team huddle —that spark the strongest sense of connection and boost employee engagement ! 🤝 While complex rituals (think holiday parties or elaborate team-building retreats) can foster deeper bonds and positive vibes , they also carry risks. 🚩 They may unintentionally leave some feeling excluded 😕, inauthentic 😶, or even underappreciated 💔—as if they’re making a personal sacrifice just to fit in. 🔍 The takeaway? Leaders should be intentional. Rituals work best when they’re inclusive, authentic, and aligned with the team’s energy—not just tradition, according to a new forthcoming research that will be published by a team of researchers from different countries using data 📊 from us and german employees in the weeks and months following the ritual event. Researchers defined complex organizational rituals such as: ➡️ Holiday parties ➡️ Team-building retreats ➡️ Annual meetings, ➡️ Award ceremonies ➡️ Onboarding or leaving events ➡️ Company-specific celebrations. 🚀 Based on these insights, researchers offer four powerful recommendations to help leaders design impactful events—ones that truly maximize value, connection, and outcomes: ✔️ Do provide opportunities to strengthen your company’s social fabric. ✔️ Do offer meaningful perks. ✔️ Do bring the positive energy. ✔️ Do set a relaxing atmosphere. ☝️ 𝙈𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: As more and more organizations enforce return-to-office mandates, one of the most common reasons cited is the need to rebuild company culture. Rituals—whether daily coffee chats or annual holiday parties—are often seen as the glue that holds culture together. One of the most eye-opening takeaways for me was realizing that rituals don’t inherently build connection. If they’re poorly planned, they can have the opposite effect. As this research shows, Simple rituals often boost morale and foster belonging. Complex rituals, however, are more fragile. They can backfire if employees feel pressured to participate, make personal sacrifices, or don’t feel genuinely appreciated. 💡 This matters now more than ever. If we’re bringing people back to the office in the name of culture, we need to ensure that the rituals we create are inclusive, intentional, and emotionally intelligent. Culture isn’t built by proximity alone—it’s built by how people feel when they show up. 🙏Thank you researchers team from City University of Hong Kong University of Florida University of London Oregon State University for sharing these insightful findings: Junhyok Yim Anthony Klotz Pauline Schilpzand 🔑 Are the rituals we’re investing in truly meaningful to our employees—or just familiar traditions? #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeEngagement #ReturnToOffice #OrganizationalBehavior

To change culture, you have to structure the promises people make. Edgar Schein, a known organizational psychology researcher, showed that culture isn’t what you write on a wiki. Culture is the shared assumptions a group learns while executing tasks and solving real problems. You might be looking at quarterly surveys, but if you truly want to see your engineering/operating culture, you should be looking at how micro-commitments behave in Slack on a random Tuesday: - When a deadline slips, does someone flag it early or hide it in a 40-message thread? - When a manager asks something vague, does the team push for clarity or type “on it” and hope for the best? - When someone misses a promise, does the system notice or does it disappear into the noise? Those details aren't “just communication.” They are your culture’s real digital footprint. You don’t fix execution by updating values on a slide deck. You fix it by shaping how promises are made, tracked, and completed every day. Where do your team's promises usually go to die and does anyone notice when they do?