Comments on: You Can’t Design a Culture http://www.developingorganizations.com/2009/01/07/you-cant-design-a-culture/ A blog about organization development and organizational behavior. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:47:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Travis Sinquefield http://www.developingorganizations.com/2009/01/07/you-cant-design-a-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-4 Travis Sinquefield Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:47:54 +0000 http://www.developingorganizations.com/?p=48#comment-4 Paul, I agree with what you are saying. A person can decide what type of culture they want to create, and try to make that happen through the things you mentioned, but it is up to the people of the organization to accept and embrace those stories and rituals. A set of norms can be established, but the people must follow along with it. At some point, there has to be acceptance by the members of the organization. Paul, I agree with what you are saying. A person can decide what type of culture they want to create, and try to make that happen through the things you mentioned, but it is up to the people of the organization to accept and embrace those stories and rituals. A set of norms can be established, but the people must follow along with it. At some point, there has to be acceptance by the members of the organization.

]]> By: Paul Hebert http://www.developingorganizations.com/2009/01/07/you-cant-design-a-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Paul Hebert Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:18:33 +0000 http://www.developingorganizations.com/?p=48#comment-3 I agree that designed may be a poor choice of words. However, I do think that you can guide a culture by creating learning moments that are reinforced in order to establish the social norms for the group. Without some way to intervene and change a culture (whether by "design" or not) culture would be an uncontrollable variable - being whatever the collective said it was at that point in time. Culture requires a set of norms established by someone (or a group of someones) - at sometime - it doesn't just appear. I do think you can decide what type of culture you want, create (or look for and highlight) the moments that define that vision, reward and celebrate those moments, tell stories about those moments and through the process "create" the culture you want. I agree that designed may be a poor choice of words. However, I do think that you can guide a culture by creating learning moments that are reinforced in order to establish the social norms for the group.

Without some way to intervene and change a culture (whether by “design” or not) culture would be an uncontrollable variable – being whatever the collective said it was at that point in time. Culture requires a set of norms established by someone (or a group of someones) – at sometime – it doesn’t just appear.

I do think you can decide what type of culture you want, create (or look for and highlight) the moments that define that vision, reward and celebrate those moments, tell stories about those moments and through the process “create” the culture you want.

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