CULTURE MATTERS, IT REALLY DOES MATTER, PART I. . .

I first became aware of an organization’s culture in 1969 when I sought to nurture my concept of a school-within-a-school from the seed of an idea to the garden of reality.  I learned then that ‘culture matters, it really does matter.’  Since then, I have continued to seek to understand – and help others understand – this powerful concept.  During the past year or so I have been helping several individuals, teams and organizations understand the concept we call ‘organizational culture’ and as I was noodling a topic for my blog I thought it might be helpful to me – and perhaps to you, gentle reader – if I wrote a bit about ‘Organizational Culture.’

First it is crucial to understand that a culture has never emerged as a result of failure; all cultures are rooted in success (even the most dysfunctional culture you, gentle reader, can name was once successful).  Second, too often folks equate, or confuse, the organization’s culture with ‘climate’ and/or ‘environment;’ these are manifestations of culture, they are not culture.  Third, what complicates all of this even more is that the number of definitions for ‘organizational culture’ (or for ‘national culture’) are almost legion.  These past forty years there have been, and continue to be, thousands of pages written about ‘culture’ in all of its many forms (think: organizational, team, state, church, city, neighborhood – the list, as you well know, goes on and on and on).

So what’s the point?  The point was, is, and will remain that ‘Culture Matters, It Really Does Matter!’

During the next several postings I will share with you, gentle reader, some of my understanding and current thinking about ‘Organizational Culture.’ As I noted above, I am choosing this focus because my thinking about culture this past year or so has been focused on ‘Organizations and their Cultures’ (as I am putting finger to key this morning I am not sure as to how many postings I am considering emerging).

As an aside (isn’t there always ‘an aside’), as a Nation (we are not, by the by, a true Democracy, we are a ‘Republic’ – those of us who took ‘Civics 101’ in high school learned this) we strive to weave together hundreds (at least) of powerful sub-cultures into a fabric of the whole which we call ‘our nation’ (not a seamless fabric either – think: colorful patch-work quilt).

So, how do we continue?  How about a definition.  As I noted above, the following definition is not the only one – not by far – and, for me, it captures the key ingredients necessary in order to begin to understand ‘Organizational Culture.’

The Definition:  Culture is the shared, deep tacit assumptions that an organized group has learned, embraced, and integrated as the group successfully engaged, responded to and coped with important external challenges while at the same time the group successfully engaged, responded to and coped with complex internal relationships. 

I invite you, gentle reader, to spend some time reflecting upon this definition (of course, since it is the definition that I support it has to be the ‘best one’ and the ‘correct’ one).  Next time I will begin to put some flesh on the bones that help make up this definition.