For this week's HR topic, we're gonna talk about that million-dollar word, culture. Can you actually change a company's culture, and would you even want to? A company's culture is its basic personality, so the bad news is, no, you're never gonna completely change it. That would be like trying to change an entire person, top-to-bottom.

 

The good news is that since culture is to an organization the way a personality is to a human being. You can mold and affect it, and shape the way that you want it to grow. Now, if you're a parent like me, you might suspect that, while this sounds simple, it's not very easy. Here is an easy definition. Culture is a self-sustaining pattern of behavior that determines how things are done.

 

So if you wanna change how things are done, you just have to change that pattern of behavior. It's simple. We can focus on three things to begin. Symbolic reminders, keystone behaviors, and mindsets. Symbolic reminders are those which remind folks of the ways that they're supposed to act. These can be really big things, but also really simple things. In one company that I love, everyone washes their own coffee cups, from the CEO on down.

 

This is a symbolic reminder that everybody is equal, no matter their position. Keystone behaviors are those things that, when you change just one thing. Other things start to change behind it. They begin to influence everything else. For instance, speaking of human personality, smoking is a great example. When people quit smoking, they usually begin to eat better, exercise more, and spend more time off the couch. So what is the equal of the smoking habit in your company? What things do you think that, by changing one habit, can help you change others?

 

Mindset is the way that people act their way into believing. Once we believe something, boy, it is hard to change our minds. But changing behaviors, remember those keystones? That changes mindsets. It's great to identify some everyday people in your company, informal leaders. Whose behaviors already exemplify whatever your company's values are and the mindset that you want to grow and nurture.

 

Then recognize those people for their behaviors. Make them your informal squad leaders, who are guiding others to where you want them to be. But don't forget, you can't do this all at once. That would be like putting your company on a crash diet. It's never gonna stick and you're gonna get really grumpy. Try picking one symbolic reminder to highlight. Identifying one keystone behavior to shift, and picking a few informal leaders whose great behaviors can help change mindsets. See how well that'll work for you. Never forget, culture is a strong emotional resource that you have at your disposal, much like human, technological, or financial resources. Of course, you shouldn't ignore it. Learn to harness it, and go forth, and be great every day.