Many ask me this question: Where do we locate culture in an organization? Where is it sitting? The unfortunate truth is that culture can not be seen but only felt deeply.
Culture is an evolving entity that permeates all corners of the organization. It is created, nourished and curated by:
the decisions we make and the decisions we avoid,
the way we solve problems,
the methods in which we address grievances,
the way we are willing to listen to the unheard,
the processes we adopt to heal ruptures,
the way we listen, and how well are we willing to listen,
the commitment we show to the ones at the margins of the subsystems,
the exclusions and inclusions,
the recognition we give.
Culture is difficult to “locate” because it is being demonstrated and defined by our behavior at all these intersecting points. Our perceptions and deep-seeded biases fuel our behavior. It is hard to accept that we do this to ourselves, so we try to trace and locate culture as if it is a physical entity to be celebrated or blamed.
