You can taste culture at the coffee machine, not in slick PowerPoint slides

A beautiful office, slick PowerPoint presentations, or a tight project plan. They are great tools, but they tell you little about the real culture of an organization. Because culture isn't about carefully designed rituals; culture only really shows itself when no one is watching. In the one look between colleagues, in who speaks up and who stays silent, in the unwritten rules that never end up on a post-it.

Exactly. That's where my work starts. And no, that is not soft talk. An analysis by Great Place to Work shows that tech companies with a strong culture achieve an average of 40% more sales growth in one year. And perhaps even more impressive: 95% of employees say they work in a 'great' work environment.

Another example? Organizations with a weak culture have a staff turnover of no less than 48.4%. For companies with a strong culture, that's only 13.9% per year. It shows that investing in culture pays off twice. In hard numbers and in committed people. Source: Global Culture Survey 2021: PwC

About the Author:

Hi, my name is Franka Juta, Change Consultant at TeamValue. Every day, I work with organizations that are on the move. Where teams need to adapt to new goals, different ways of working together, or a changing playing field. My background as a Cultural Anthropologist helps me to recognize the undercurrent: the invisible patterns that drive behavior and make or break change.

During my studies, I learned to question the obvious and to understand the strange. In practice, organizational culture often appears to be more unruly than the theory suggests. That view into a meeting, the discomfort beneath the surface, working arrangements that don't land. That's where my work starts. Because without insight into the underlying beliefs, any change remains superficial.

The series “Change starts with culture”

Change in organizations is often about processes, structures and tools. But those who are busy with transformation know: the undercurrent determines whether it succeeds. That's why I started this series: 'Change starts with culture'. An exploration of what organizational culture really is and, above all, what I can do with it in my work as a Change Consultant.

I'll talk to psychologists, entrepreneurs, leadership trainers and other change agents who look at teams, change and resistance in a fresh way. Not from models alone, but from experience.

Why? Because I mainly encounter theory online, but miss real stories. Stories that I can do something with in practice. Experiences that are recognisable and insights that help us move forward as change agents. Because in practice, resistance often turns out to be a lot tougher than the “5 steps to change” in your favorite management book.

Who is this series for?

For everyone who works with teams and transformation: from agile coaches to project managers and board members. Together, we'll discover which unwritten rules sometimes undermine our plans and how you can use that undercurrent instead of fighting it. So that you will soon be stronger in your role, with more control over change.

The topics I'm going to discuss in this series are:

1. Organizational culture

2. Resistance

3. Speaking on and off

4. Leadership

We'll start at the beginning. After all, what exactly is organizational culture?

Everyone talks about it: “It's in our culture,” “That doesn't suit the way we work,” or “That's how we do it here.” But what do we actually mean by that? Organizational culture is one of the most used, and least understood at the same time, concepts in change processes.

In this first blog in the “Change starts with culture” series, we dive into the basics. We explore Edgar Schein's cultural model, which helps to get a grip on something that often feels elusive. I'll also talk to Julian, founder of September. Due to their strong culture, they were able to recruit 300 applicants for just 2 vacancies last year. Of course, I want to know more about that.

But first, some theory.

Schein's cultural model

To better understand organizational culture, we use Edgar Schein's cultural model. This model helps to break down the often elusive term “culture” into three layers. From visible behavior to deep-rooted beliefs.

1. Artifacts: What you see, hear and feel

This is the top layer of culture. It's about everything that is visible and tangible: the design of the office, clothing style, how people interact with each other, whether doors are open or closed. This also includes processes, rituals and symbols. It's the outside of culture. Easy to observe, but difficult to interpret without context.

2. Expressed values: what we say we care about

The second layer consists of the values, norms, strategies and goals that an organization promotes. Think of the mission and vision, core values and codes of conduct. This layer tells how the organization sees itself and how it wants employees to behave. But note: what is said here does not always match what is actually happening.

3. Basic assumptions: what we take for granted

The deepest layer is often unconscious. These are beliefs and assumptions that are so obvious that they are rarely expressed. They form the foundation of the culture and control behavior in a subtle way. Here are the unwritten rules, the “truths” that everyone knows but no one writes down.

Schein emphasises that a healthy organisational culture is created when these three layers are connected to each other. What you believe (basic assumptions) is reflected in what you say (values and vision), and you ultimately see in what you do (artifacts and behavior). When those layers do not connect, noise is created and, as a change agent, you will notice that immediately.

In conversation with Julian, founder of September

September: walk the talk, that's Julian to the fullest. He is co-founder of September, digital partner for meaningful brands, based in Utrecht. For over 13 years, together with Daan and Jan-Maarten, he has been building an organization that is not about maximizing profits or rapid growth, but about working in a way that matches who they are.

1) The start of your culture; from freedom to meaning

‍Julian: “We started in our early twenties, without a boss, with friends. Freedom and fun were key: a fridge full of beer, few rules, Friday drinks. We quickly made choices that said a lot about who we wanted to be. For example, we arranged extensive paternity leave, even before it was legal, not because someone asked for it, but because it felt logical and human.
As we got older and had children, we looked at impact differently. When what I find important privately does not come back to work, I become unhappy, even with a good salary. This gave freedom a deeper meaning: how do you deal with each other, with customers, with the world? Those private values had to be visible in our choices.”

2) Tipping point day: “Greener, or I'll leave”

Julien: “After corona, commercial orders fell away. The team said: now is the time; we're going green, otherwise we're gone. We joined Fossil Free Agencies, said no to fossil clients (even if it was financially attractive) and made our choices visible. Not as a marketing ploy, but as consistent behavior with what we believe.”

3) What you see when you enter

‍Julian: “Specifically, you see an A++ studio with ±350 plants, vegetarian lunch, team outings by train and a sustainability team that shares a weekly tip or action. These visible choices are expressions of what is important, not just “fun things,” but consistent behavior that shows who we want to be.”

4) Boundaries and signals when culture is under pressure

‍Julian: “Our hard borders? No evening work and immediate intervention in the event of unreasonable pressure from clients: protecting the team comes first.
Early signs that the culture is under pressure are dissatisfaction, increasing workload, or informal freedoms that are becoming vague. Then we'll make the conversation explicit and recalibrate our choices so that values, words and actions are right again.”

5) Why 300 applicants for two vacancies?

‍Julian: “Candidates are attracted to our value profile, sustainable work for meaningful brands, and its daily expressions: from lunch to travel. People consciously choose places and principles.
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The flip side? Our “soft” culture doesn't suit everyone. Those who live for targets and competition will find little support here. And that's good: retention depends on whether those values remain tangible. If workload or context affects that, people also leave faster.”

When behavior no longer matches what we say

What stands out about September is how consistent behavior, choices and beliefs are linked. That's why you feel the culture. Not in policy or core values, but in daily details. It hurts when words no longer match what happens or what choices are made.

And you can see that. In decisions that are suddenly taken out of consultation (not so democratic, right?) In jokes that are just a little too often about work pressure or policy. In people who suddenly say “they” instead of “we”.

These are not incidents, these are signals. Signs that policy and beliefs are out of line. Because as soon as the tension rises, the deepest conviction always prevails over the PowerPoint.

My three key takeaways following the conversation with Julian? These are:

• Start with understanding, not change.
  Listen to what people find important, what gives them energy or, on the contrary, tension. That tells you how they are changing and thus how the culture works. Test whether values and reality are in line with each other.

• Not every person fits every culture
  Sometimes the mismatch does not lie in the plan, but in the values that lie beneath the organization. Make that negotiable, instead of trying to 'fit' people into something that will never really fit.

• Align your change approach to the existing culture.
  When you know how the organization really works, you align processes, policies and rhythms with it. Only then does change land sustainably, because it matches the undercurrent.

The wisdom of resistance

In my next blog, I'll dive into the power of resistance and talk to Nadia Nengerman, Cognitive Behavioral Therapist at SEYCentra. The blog will be online from Friday, December 19.