The Looking Glass: Culture Changers

 The Looking Glass: Culture Changers

Culture in organizations is often discussed in terms of what it’s like to work somewhere — the atmosphere, the management style, or the hours employees put in. Common responses to the question, “What’s your team’s culture?” might include statements like “We work long hours,” or “We have a fun, friendly atmosphere.” While these descriptions are fine for providing a snapshot to an outsider, they fall short of capturing the deeper essence of what culture truly is. They are akin to describing the ocean simply by its color, missing the underlying currents and forces that shape it.

The word “culture” itself comes from the root “cultivate,” meaning to grow with intention. Therefore, to truly understand a team’s culture, we must look beyond surface-level descriptors and ask a more probing question: “What beliefs drive your team’s growth?” Beliefs are the roots of actions; they explain why a team operates the way it does. For example, a team that works long hours might do so because of a belief that time spent at the office demonstrates dedication to higher-ups, creating a norm of staying late for the sake of optics. Alternatively, a team might work long hours because they believe that people are capable of extraordinary things when given ownership, leading to a culture where employees willingly take on large responsibilities.

The behavior might be the same, but the underlying “why” can differ dramatically. When you believe something deeply, it naturally manifests in your actions, sometimes even subconsciously. Therefore, understanding the story that team members tell themselves about what success looks like is key to understanding their culture. The next time someone asks about your team’s culture, consider answering by sharing the beliefs that your team holds dear. Similarly, if you want to understand a team’s culture, ask the more insightful question: “What would someone have to believe to be successful here?”

Changing a culture, however, is not an easy task. Because culture is rooted in beliefs, and beliefs are more like forests than Stonehenge — dynamic and evolving rather than static and unchanging — culture can indeed be transformed. In fact, a single person with a compelling new belief can change a culture. But how does one go about changing a culture? There are three critical steps.

First, you must identify the existing belief you want to change and understand where it came from. What is the belief that you feel is leading the team astray? To get to the heart of the matter, you need to dig past the undesirable behavior and uncover the core belief underneath it. For instance, if the problem is that people are writing poor-quality code, the underlying belief might be that “shipping faster is more important than writing sustainable code.” This belief could stem from leadership’s constant push to deliver features quickly, driven by their belief that this is the best way to increase productivity. It’s essential to recognize that most beliefs, even those that lead to negative outcomes, are adopted for a reason — often a well-meaning one. Understanding the context in which a belief is helpful can provide insight into why it took hold in the first place.

Once you’ve identified the problematic belief, the second step is to propose an alternative. Imagine you had a magic wand and could make everyone on your team suddenly believe something different — what would that belief be? To bring about real change, it’s not enough to simply oppose the existing belief. You need to create a new, attractive alternative that aligns with the same goals but with a different strategy. For example, instead of pushing for speed at the expense of quality, you might advocate that “we can move faster if we write quality code.”

The final step is to start telling this new story, over and over again. Leadership is about influence, and a significant part of influence is repetition. You can’t expect a single Slack post or a comment in a meeting to change deeply entrenched beliefs. You need to repeat your new belief consistently across different contexts — in one-on-one conversations, team meetings, and online communication channels. When you encounter examples that illustrate the problems with the old belief, use them as opportunities to reinforce the new one. Let others challenge your belief, as this will only strengthen it through deeper discussion. Persistence is key; you’ll know you’re making progress when others on the team start repeating the new belief themselves.

Changing a culture is challenging, especially when the existing beliefs are deeply rooted, and the team is large. However, it’s often not as difficult as people think. The belief that “I don’t like how we’re doing things, but I don’t think I can change it” is, in itself, a limiting belief that needs to be challenged. To illustrate the point, consider the words of Sun Tzu: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” While he might have been talking about warfare, his wisdom applies equally to the battle of changing a culture.

In conclusion, a company is not just an entity but a dynamic organism with its own soul. It hums and breathes, sometimes inspiring and beautiful, other times frustrating and disappointing. Like all living things, a company can change, and its culture can evolve. The relationship you have with your company can shape you in profound ways, demanding growth and teaching lessons you never knew you needed to learn. The process of changing a culture may be challenging, but it is also one of the most significant ways you can influence the future of the organization and the people within it.