Designing Culture & Communications

Edgar Schein, the world’s leading scholar on organizational culture, said people are the “architects of culture.” We call on architects to help us as we create new buildings, but also as we renovate. We also call on architects as we refine the systems that operate within our structures. It’s an accurate metaphor for leading organizational culture and aligning internal communications.

As architects, what are the rules we use to build effective cultures?

We borrow three design principles from the Marcus Vitruvius Pollo (80 BCE-15 BCE), known as the father of architectural engineering. Vitruvius said architecture must be three things: durable, useful, and beautiful.

Design principles for effective organization culture

As we help our clients shape their organizational cultures, we focus on these same three principles, making sure the culture is durable, useful, and beautiful. 

Durable cultures are designed to endure. Cultures endure when they are shared not just by senior leadership, but by each member of the organization. Cultures endure when the organization’s systems and structures uphold the culture they want. That means what leaders pay attention to, what they measure, what they reward, and how they hire, train, and fire all must support the desired culture. When they do, the culture is durable.

Useful cultures help people know how to work and how to lead. They reduce complexity and solve problems. They make the organization more beneficial to its people and its stakeholders. In practice, that means people know how they’re expected to show up at work. The community knows it can trust the organization to be a good player. At the same time, the organization gets the business results it needs because the culture is designed for productivity.

Beautiful cultures help people flourish. They help people live out their purpose and contribute to the common good. Beautiful cultures are values-driven cultures where people can learn and grow in a psychologically safe environment. They are places where people want to work.

Good architecture stands the test of time. Cultures built on these principles will stand the test of time as well, inspiring people and enabling them to excel.

The connection between culture and communication

The culture is best seen in the conversation your organization has, both the formal conversations from executives in town halls and all-hands meetings, and the informal conversations that happen in Slack threads or while you’re waiting for a Zoom meeting to start    

We help leaders align culture and communication, so you get the lift you need from the culture you’re building.

We can help you define your culture, identify your values and purpose, build systems and structures that support the culture, and align your communication. Ready?

Photo by Kimon Maritz on Unsplash