What is “Intentional Culture?”
Every company has a working culture. Small offices, large farms, grocery stores, breweries, any work environment you can name has a culture. It’s the way we get things done around here. Every work environment has way it gets things done.
Culture happens in one of two ways.
Unintentional culture happens naturally, because no one is paying attention to it. They’re too busy keeping the lights on, the products shipping, the customers happy. The way we get things done becomes haphazard, unclear, even chaotic. And, once it happens, it’s really hard to change it.
Intentional cultures pay close attention to the way things get done around here, and every step of work has a reason and a value. Paying close attention streamlines processes, escalates effectiveness, and improves outputs. Intentional cultures focus on understanding how and why things get done the way they do. Intentional cultures improve themselves routinely.
Intentional culture is not a static or “one-and-done” exercise; rather, it’s an ongoing, daily practice that requires consistent effort, reinforcement, and adaptability from all levels of the organization.
A strong, intentional culture provides a significant financial return on investment (ROI) through metrics such as higher profitability, lower turnover costs, and stronger customer loyalty.
How intentional is your company culture?