Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: Understanding & Shaping Organizational Culture

🧠 "Culture is not part of the game. It is the game." — Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM

🌱 What Is Culture in an Organization?

Organizational culture is the invisible thread that binds people, values, behaviors, beliefs, systems, and symbols together. It defines "how things are done around here." It shows up in how people communicate, solve problems, celebrate success—or handle failure.

Culture is not just about posters on walls or Friday pizza parties. It's about how decisions are made, how leaders lead, and how employees feel on a Monday morning.

🏗️ How to Build Culture in an Organization?

1. Start with Purpose: Culture is rooted in clarity of mission and vision. When people know why they come to work, they’re aligned.
2. Leadership Consistency: Leaders must model the culture. You can’t preach transparency and hide information.
3. Hire for Fit, Not Just Skills: Skills can be trained. Values, not so much. Hire those whose beliefs align with the company’s purpose.
4. Rituals & Symbols Matter: Weekly shout-outs, open-door policies, flexible work—these shape day-to-day experiences.
5. Reinforce through Systems: Performance reviews, recognition programs, onboarding—all should support the desired culture.

🔁 How to Change Organizational Culture?

Changing culture is slow, strategic, and deeply human. Here's how:

• Diagnose the Current Culture: Use surveys, interviews, observations. What’s working, what’s not?
• Define the Desired Culture: Be specific—What behaviors do you want to see more of?
• Leadership Buy-In: No change happens unless leaders embody the new culture visibly.
• Change Stories, Not Just Structures: People are moved by stories, not memos. Share examples of cultural transformation.
• Measure and Adapt: Culture change is not linear. Track small wins and iterate.

📚 Must-Read Books on Organizational Culture

1. "The Culture Code" – Daniel Coyle → Insights from elite teams like Pixar and Navy SEALs.
2. "Leaders Eat Last" – Simon Sinek → Explores how leaders shape safe, trusting environments.
3. "Reinventing Organizations" – Frederic Laloux → A visionary look at self-managed, soulful companies.
4. "An Everyone Culture" – Robert Kegan & Lisa Laskow Lahey → How deliberately developmental organizations thrive.
5. "Delivering Happiness" – Tony Hsieh → Zappos’ journey to creating a customer-obsessed culture.
6. "Tribal Leadership" – Dave Logan → Identifies 5 cultural stages and how to level up teams.