Is “Culture” a Dirty Word?
🙊 Is “culture” a dirty word?
Recently, a client mentioned that she has heard that job seekers who say that they value good culture led to a lack of call backs for further interview rounds. My client was concerned that raising the topic of culture in an interview might limit their job search even though a “good culture” was a critical criterion for them.
This made me wonder: Is “culture” a dirty word?
Since I doubt many people seek out or openly promote a toxic culture, my guess is that using the term “culture” creates ambiguity and allows for misconceptions. The information gap, left open, can fill with inaccurate assumptions and lead to erroneous conclusions.
For example, if I say “a good culture is important to me” and leave it at that, you are left to wonder what exactly mean. Maybe my statement means I’d rather not “work hard.” Or that I want to have flexibility to work remotely. Or that I value a lot of socializing at work. Or ping pong tables. If you conclude I won’t be happy in your company where folks are encouraged to work in the office everyday, there are few group events and exactly zero ping pong tables, I’ve allowed you to write me off for reasons that in fact might not be that important to me.
➡ So, if good culture is important to us as leaders or employees, how can we talk about it effectively?
It helps to break culture down to its 5 drivers as identified by Gallup’s research* and explore how a company uses these drivers to support its mission:
1️⃣ Leadership and communication: How do leaders define, display and communicate an organization’s purpose and brand?
2️⃣ Values and rituals: What does the company value and what practices are in place to align actions with those values?
3️⃣ Human capital: How does a company engage and develop employees in a way that supports its mission?
4️⃣ Work teams and structures: How does the team’s internal structure support the delivery of the company’s product?
5️⃣ Performance: What performance incentives are in place and how do they align with the company’s stated values?
As a leader or a prospective employee, be prepared to talk about how these factors and ask about how these drivers work together to contribute to the success of the organization. A rich discussion along these lines will show a company’s culture in action and allow a prospective team member to assess how they would fit into such an organization.
Remember, every organization has a culture whether people use that word or not.
No, “culture” isn’t a dirty word, just a vague and potentially misleading one. The real opportunities come from digging a bit deeper.
To discuss how you can identify and build effective cultures in your organization connect with me here or at john@aconnectedcoach.com
*The 5 drivers above come from “Gallup’s Approach to Culture: Building a Culture that Drives Performance,” 2018.