STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Culture is constantly shifting, but there are practical ways to define it
  • It’s up to executives to envision and track their workplace’s ideal culture
  • A successful culture is possible when aligned at five key levels

Work culture often challenges business leaders, and understandably so -- culture is constantly shifting based on internal and external influences, making it tough to define.

Culture can seem elusive because it’s rooted in patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors -- in the abstract, not the concrete. Further, culture comes to life in subtle ways -- through shared social norms, beliefs and practices. It’s this intangible (often unspoken) nature of culture that can make it difficult to measure and manage.

As a result, many leaders assume that shaping or influencing culture is HR’s responsibility -- or worse, turn a blind eye to culture despite knowing that culture matters. It matters to employees and customers alike, affecting outcomes for organizations every day. Building a world-class culture requires executive commitment, alignment and involvement.