What culture is and why it matters.

I want to build a little on what I implied as the primacy of culture in diagnosing and repairing business problems. So let's first define what's meant by culture, although I should point out one thing: the study of culture is generally within the purview of anthropology, specifically and not surprisingly, cultural anthropology. Anthropologists have been arguing about the definition of culture for decades, and there are literally hundreds, possibly thousands of definitions, each reflecting the writer's research bias (and such were part of my academic studies for years). I'm not interested in academic purity anymore; I use a definition that is explanatory and useful for improving the business condition of my clients. Culture, then, consists of the norms, values, beliefs and behaviors both acquired and cultivated by persons as members of a group. It is a "shared code of meaning" (Clifford Geertz), and it is "whatever one needs to know or believe in order to operate in a manner acceptable to its members" (Ward Goodenough).

If we reflect on these definitions I think we can see that they are applicable to all manner of human groups, from a simple band society to complex civilizations and of course, to modern businesses of all sizes. In fact, if you re-read the Goodenough quote, haven't you heard that expressed in business as "the way we do things around here?" That phrase has become a kind of shorthand definition of corporate culture, and it's pretty accurate. But the point is that the way things are done around anywhere, i.e., the culture, will become the major influence on behavior. If I'm a new employee and I want to fit in, be accepted and climb the ladder, I will probably watch, listen and learn how things are done, who has the influence, what is acceptable behavior and language, where the power structures are and so forth. I'll follow those patterns, and assuming I have at least minimal competance I'll begin to succeed. In the meantime, I will likely internalize the spoken and especially unspoken company values. I will become one of the tribe in a process called acculturation, and I won't even know it has happened.

Talk to someone from a company listed as one of the best to work for; they're virtual brand ambassadors because of their belief in the company for whom they work, and that belief compels them to high standards of personal performance. It's that company's culture driving such belief and behavior. There is a pattern in those companies and it's worth emulating. If you're in management, take a look around. What do you see? What do you hear? Do employees believe in the company's vision? Are they performing at the levels you need? Is there a pattern of customer complaints? Are people engaged in their work? Do they show pride in what they do and do they show pride in your company, what it does and most importantly, what it stands for? These are all cultural indicators (there are more). Don't dare ignore them.