| Are you looking for a clear definition of | | | | Culture shows up in both visible and |
| corporate culture? You have come to the right | | | | invisible ways. Some expressions of corporate |
| place! | | | | culture are easy to observe. You can see the |
| | | | dress code, work environment, perks, and |
| I have developed a definition of corporate | | | | titles in a company. This is the surface |
| culture after nearly 20 years of working with | | | | layer of culture. These are only some of the |
| organizations and viewing them from the | | | | visible manifestations of a culture. |
| perspective of a cultural anthropologist as | | | | |
| well as a strategy consultant with an MBA in | | | | Surface Layer of Corporate Culture: Visible |
| finance. | | | | Expressions ·Dress Code · Work |
| | | | Environment · Benefits · Perks · |
| The easiest way to think of corporate culture | | | | Conversations · Work/Life Balance · |
| is that it is an energy field that determines | | | | Titles & Job Descriptions · |
| how people think, act, and view the world | | | | Organizational Structure · Relationships |
| around them. I often compare culture to | | | | |
| electricity. Culture is powerful and | | | | The far more powerful aspects of corporate |
| invisible and its effects are far reaching. | | | | culture are invisible. The cultural core is |
| Culture is an energy force that becomes woven | | | | composed of the beliefs, values, standards, |
| through the thinking, behavior, and identity | | | | paradigms, worldviews, moods, internal |
| of those within the group. | | | | conversations, and private conversations of |
| | | | the people that are part of the group. This |
| Corporate culture is created naturally and | | | | is the foundation for all actions and |
| automatically. Every time people come | | | | decisions within a team, department, or |
| together with a shared purpose, culture is | | | | organization. |
| created. This group of people could be a | | | | |
| family, neighborhood, project team, or | | | | Core Layer of Corporate Culture: Invisible |
| company. Culture is automatically created out | | | | Manifestations · Values · Private |
| of the combined thoughts, energies, and | | | | Conversations (with self or confidants) · |
| attitudes of the people in the group. | | | | Invisible Rules · Attitudes · Beliefs |
| | | | · Worldviews · Moods and Emotions |
| I have worked with entrepreneurs and venture | | | | · Unconscious Interpretations · |
| capitalists involved in the start-up of | | | | Standards · Paradigms · Assumptions |
| technology companies. They want to work on | | | | |
| the corporate culture once the company is | | | | Business leaders often assume that their |
| profitable or "in the black". It is much more | | | | company's vision, values, and strategic |
| difficult to change the corporate culture | | | | priorities are synonymous with their |
| once it has emerged than to proactively | | | | company's culture. Unfortunately, too often, |
| create the corporate culture they want from | | | | the vision, values, and strategic priorities |
| the start. | | | | may only be words hanging on a plaque on the |
| | | | wall. |
| The corporate culture energy field determines | | | | |
| a company's dress code, work environment, | | | | Corporate culture is actually the container |
| work hours, rules for getting ahead and | | | | for the vision, mission and values. It is not |
| getting promoted, how the business world is | | | | synonymous with them. In a thriving |
| viewed, what is valued, who is valued, and | | | | profitable company, employees will embody the |
| much more. | | | | values, vision, and strategic priorities of |
| | | | their company. |
| Every company or organizations has numerous | | | | |
| corporate cultures. For example, the | | | | What creates this embodiment (or lack of |
| marketing department and the engineering | | | | embodiment) is the corporate culture energy |
| department may have very different corporate | | | | field that permeates the employees' psyches, |
| cultures which are both influenced by the | | | | bodies, conversations, and actions. Companies |
| overall organizational corporate culture. | | | | need a good definition of corporate culture |
| Many times these two sub-cultures clash. | | | | before they can begin to understand how to |
| | | | change the corporate culture. |