What’s your definition of culture?
“How a group of people behave?”
“A feeling you use to make hiring decisions?”
I spent almost 15 years at Nike and Apple, two brands where we drank Kool-Aids, instead of beer, on Friday afternoons. The most valuable thing from all the kool-aid drinking?
Culture needs to be “lead-able,” practical, measurable, for it to be scalable.
I know. It’s glib. It’s easier said than done. So I want to present a definition of culture that best represents what I have witnessed at Apple and Nike:
“A culture is the unique combination of processes and priorities within an organization.” Clayton M. Christensen.
If you aren’t sure how to understand your culture, or build your company’s culture, think:
– Does my team know what our priorities are?
– Does my team know what are the communication and execution processes to achieve our priorities?
Start here. It will get you somewhere beyond the touchy feely part of culture.