Thousands of years ago, people gathered around a bonfire to discuss important decisions. If a nearby tribe posed a threat, the group would share observations, listen to one another, and the elder would make the final decision.
Today, corporate teams do something very similar. On Monday mornings, colleagues gather around a meeting table with coffee in hand to discuss new challenges - perhaps growing competition or changing market conditions. Team members share their ideas, and in the end the leader helps guide the group toward a decision.
The setting has changed from a bonfire to a meeting room, but the principle remains the same: people come together, share knowledge, and make decisions as a group. Although today’s circumstances are different, the need to belong to a “tribe” is still important to us - whether it is a family, a circle of friends, or a work team.
Each organization is a social mini-system, or a kind of “corporate tribe” with its own hierarchy, order, values, written and unwritten laws that determine its culture. Even if you've never defined what your workplace culture is, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It certainly exists, regardless of whether it is consciously created or left to form in self-flow.
Think for a moment and try to remember when you just started working in one of the organizations and looked at everything through the eyes of a “newcomer”, perhaps in amazement you frowned, asking yourself - what is this strange order and why do things have to be so complicated? Maybe you experienced a “culture shock” when you heard your colleagues talk in let’s say - interesting tonality, or maybe you were surprised by some unusual tradition, the true meaning of which you realized only after time?
When passing glazed office buildings or institutions, they often look similar, but what we do not see is how different life goes behind the doors of these offices: how decisions are made, how the flow of information is organized, what actions are rewarded with a promotion, but for what someone is punished, how victories are celebrated, how colleagues behave to each other and what they say about their customers. What happens behind these doors is determined by the culture of the particular organization. And just starting to work in an organization, it reveals itself to us little by little.
As is known, organizations tend to be very diverse, both very hierarchical, where decisions are made only by the manager and are communicated through resolutions and orders, and also very egalitarian or with very little power vertically. However, whatever the organizations are, they all face 3 universal challenges: the relationship with people; the relationship with time; the relationship between people and the environment. Organizational culture, on the other hand, is the answer to how each organization chooses to address these challenges. According to social anthropologists Danielle Braun and Jitske Kramer, who study different organizations, “people create cultures to find unique answers to universal questions.”1
At first glance, an organization may seem simple: the structure is clear and everyone has defined responsibilities. However, every organization is actually a complex system shaped by many visible and invisible interactions between people. For example, the real leaders are not always those in formal positions. Often they are experienced colleagues whom others trust and turn to for advice in difficult situations. Information does not always follow official channels either - sometimes opinions are formed during informal conversations, even before meetings take place. That is why it is important to pay attention to what is really happening inside an organization. Understanding these dynamics can help improve cooperation and achieve goals more effectively.
The owner or manager plays a major role in shaping an organization’s culture, especially in smaller organizations. In many ways, organizational culture reflects the behavior of its leader. Managers set the tone through their actions. For example, if a manager sends emails during holidays or vacations - even saying that a response is not expected - it may still signal to employees that they should always be available. Similarly, if a manager interrupts others or criticizes someone in front of colleagues, it becomes difficult to expect respectful communication from the team. For this reason, managers need to be especially aware of the example they set and the values they communicate through their behavior.
You may have heard the famous phrase: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” as written by Peter Drucker, an American business consultant, also known as the founder of modern management. With this catchy saying, the author once wanted to emphasize that no matter how strong an organization's strategic plan is, it is likely to fail if all employees do not support it and act in accordance with the values and culture of the organization. Therefore, for inspiration, there are four stopping points that help to build and also maintain a strong and healthy organizational culture.
4 things that help build a culture supportive of the organization's goals
1. Clear definition of vision and values
People understand what is expected of them more easily when clear and unambiguous guidelines are provided: what is the purpose of our organization and what values guide our work? In this context, values are moral principles that shape everyday behavior - how we make decisions, communicate with others, and respond to non-standard situations. In essence, they represent a collective agreement about what is acceptable or unacceptable within the organization. The clearer these shared expectations are, the more likely people are to follow them. In practice, this means that the manager or management team defines the organization’s vision, goals, and values while involving employees in discussing them and expressing their views. Communication - especially regular dialogue - is crucial in this process, because defined values have little meaning if employees are not aware of them.
2. Involvement of the entire “tribe”
It is important for people not only to speak but also to feel truly heard, and decision-making does not always have to rest solely with the leader. In low power-distance societies, such as Latvia, employees often expect managers to consult them and are willing to participate in decisions - from defining shared values to improving work processes. In smaller organizations this can happen through regular team discussions, while larger organizations can use internal surveys, voting tools, open office hours for managers, or town-hall meetings where employees can ask questions and share ideas. When people are involved in shaping decisions, they feel valued and develop a stronger sense of ownership toward the organization.
3. Strengthening identity
An organization’s identity is shaped not only by its name or logo but also by its stories about its founding, key decisions, successes, and even failures. These stories are passed from one generation of employees to another through both formal and informal communication, helping to strengthen organizational culture. Formal channels include internal platforms, onboarding programs, and team-building activities. At the same time, culture is also transmitted through everyday conversations at the coffee machine or during lunch with colleagues. New employees observe these interactions carefully, learning what behavior is expected in order to belong and succeed. For this reason, it is important to support a continuous and open flow of internal communication.
4. Formation of rituals
For thousands of years, people have practiced rituals - cultural, religious, and those established within families. The fact that they continue to exist suggests their importance. A ritual is a sequence of actions performed in a consistent order and often carries symbolic meaning. Rituals help strengthen shared values, unite people, and provide stability during uncertain times. They can also mark transitions from one stage to another. In modern organizations, rituals may include annual celebrations, employee recognition events, or traditional team outings. Organizations also develop their own transition rituals, such as welcoming new employees, celebrating promotions, or honoring colleagues who retire. Whatever form they take, these rituals help strengthen organizational culture and bring the “tribe” together, so investing time and attention in them is worthwhile.
*The title of the article is borrowed from D. Brown, and J. Kramer's book titled “The Corporate Tribe.”
- Brown, D., Kramer, J. (2019). The Corporate tribe. Organizational lessons from anthropology, Routledge.
- Hofstede, G., Hofstede G. J., Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind — Intercultural Cooperation and its importance for Survival, The McGraw-Hill Companies, 3rd ed.
