Episode 11: Culture

Lead. Travel. Pray.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/ltppodcast/episode11_culture.mp3

Show Notes:

Individuals each have a unique personality – beyond intelligence, appearance, etc. At Lead. Travel. Pray., we think about culture as the organization’s personality. It’s the collective way of “being” that makes it unique. It’s the “how we do things” layer to “what we do”.

To better understand a culture during an interview or to diagnose a culture through employee/member focus groups, ask questions like…

• How does work get done here?
• How are decisions made? Who has the ultimate say?
• What behaviors are rewarded?
• What are characteristics or behaviors of people who do not fit?
• What 3 words would you use to describe this place to friends and family?

From there you can work on what the employees want the organization to aspire to be and how to close the gaps.

There are also culture assessments that can assist in a more formal diagnosis. Here are some examples:

1. Denison’s culture survey
2. Organization Culture Inventory – Human Synergistics

Here are a few other resources we find handy for culture:

• Hofstede’s country comparison tool sheds light on global cultural differences
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

We’d enjoy hearing what cultural attributes you find most rewarding at work, church, a volunteer organization or hobby group. Please comment below!