The definition of organizational or workplace culture is often misunderstood. Here’s what this means to me on both a comprehensive and practical level (with gratitude to Dr. Edgar Schein, one of my key mentors):
“Culture is defined as the values, beliefs, and patterns that guide the vision, strategy, and behaviors in an organization. Cultural elements are deep and pervasive, and often unknown or not fully realized by the participants of the culture. The longer you’ve been in the culture the more it’s like asking the fish to describe the water.”
Changing Culture from the Bottom Up
Much of what is currently referred to as “workplace culture” is more accurately labeled as two separate things—“workplace wellness”—which not only covers the subjective experiences of the workforce, but includes benefits, policies, and tangible staff support options, and the “behavioral culture”—how people act, relate, collaborate, and resolve normal conflicts.
Changing workplace culture is not a matter of providing workshops, retreats, or more information. It requires getting at the root level of assumptions and expectations.
