An organizational culture is the sum total of all I have discussed in my previous posts. It is the product of your people, your policies, and the way your organization does business.
Before you can define your organization’s culture, you must understand what a culture is. While there are many definitions, this is mine.
On the surface, a culture is how your company does things. As Aristotle said,
“We are what we repeatedly do.”
This behavioral measure of culture is important because it’s the demonstrable result of all you do. But is not the only metric.
Culture is also the sum of the underlying values and beliefs that mold your organization. Those values and beliefs have been the subject of my prior posts in this series. Rolled up, they form the underpinning of your culture.
In a Meta sense, these values and beliefs provide a “reality” that is unique to your organization. It provides a basis for purpose and action. It serves as a means of mainstream … and provides a baseline to evaluate people and decisions.
Every organizational culture is different. Competitors can copy your products, mimic your strategies, and hire your people, but they can never duplicate your culture. It is a living, breathing, changing thing that defines your organization like a fingerprint.
This my readers marks the last post of my “Managing People” series. I hope you enjoyed reading them as I’ve enjoyed writing them. Organizations always plan for business strategies and technology solutions, but seldom do they seriously considering how they manage their people.
Please share the series or posts with your friends and colleagues if you find them of benefit.