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