1. Strategy & Direction
Culture and strategy go hand-in-hand. A clearly articulated strategy aligned with organizational values ensures everyone understands the mission, priorities, and long-term goals. It provides a shared direction, empowering people to make decisions and take actions that support both business objectives and the desired culture.
2. Values & Beliefs
The guiding principles that influence decisions, behaviors, and priorities across the organization. Clear, lived values help teams make consistent choices and act with purpose.
3. Norms & Behaviors
Everyday actions and unwritten rules define how work gets done and how people interact. Strong cultures encourage collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
4. Leadership & Role Modeling
Leaders set the tone. When leaders demonstrate desired behaviors, they inspire trust, commitment, and alignment throughout the organization.
5. Communication & Storytelling
Open, transparent, and consistent communication builds shared understanding. Stories of success, learning, and values in action reinforce culture and connect people to the mission.
6. Recognition & Reinforcement
Celebrating achievements and reinforcing desired behaviors strengthens engagement, motivation, and cultural adoption.
1. Edgar Schein’s Model – Focuses on artifacts, espoused values, and underlying assumptions to understand culture at different levels.
2. Cameron & Quinn Competing Values Framework – Classifies culture into Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy types to diagnose and shape organizational dynamics.
3. Denison Organizational Culture Model – Links culture to performance through involvement, consistency, adaptability, and mission.
4. Kotter’s Cultural Change Principles – Integrates culture into broader change initiatives, emphasizing leadership, vision, and reinforcement