The high-performing employee who resigns to accept an exciting new job opportunity\u2014without any acknowledgement from management? Your other employees are wondering whether anyone will care if they leave as well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nYou can\u2019t opt out of doing culture. But you can decide whether you do this work intentionally or accidentally.<\/p>\n
Consistent classroom communities<\/h4>\n
I started thinking a lot about embedding culture within existing systems during a one-year residency in Berlin, where my kids attended the local public schools.<\/p>\n
From the first day, I noticed one obvious difference:<\/p>\n
Classes stay together for all of elementary school, with the same teachers for grades 1\u20133 and then grades 4\u20136.<\/p>\n
I observed that this system helps teachers take a longer view of their students\u2019 development. (Research also shows associations between this kind of continuity and higher academic achievement.) Students and teachers invest more in building relationships and resolving conflicts, knowing problems won\u2019t disappear by reshuffling classes. Parents form genuine support networks.<\/p>\n
In short, Berlin schools don\u2019t just \u201cdo\u201d culture. Culture is embedded in how schools operate.<\/p>\n
Most of us won\u2019t have the luxury of working with the same team for six years. Yet we can adapt the principle that culture is something you build into your system.<\/p>\n
What does this mean for resource-strapped organizations?<\/h4>\n
The best ways to create culture involve low-cost, intentional actions that build upon things you\u2019re already doing:<\/p>\n
1. Recognize people already doing the work<\/h4>\n
Most organizations have one person who takes on the role of social glue. They remember birthdays, organize meal trains, or share photos of workplace events.<\/p>\n
These people\u2014sometimes known as the \u201cOffice Mom\u201d\u2014are usually women. Their work is rarely compensated or factored into raises or promotions.<\/p>\n
We tend to devalue this work because it\u2019s hard to measure or connect to clear deliverables. But it doesn\u2019t have to be this way.<\/p>\n
If you are in a position of leadership, recognize their work publicly and privately. Encourage them to do culture work on the clock, not during breaks. Include references to community building in performance reviews. Provide a small budget so that they\u2019re not bearing personal financial costs for their generosity.<\/p>\n
2. Repair what\u2019s broken<\/h4>\n
Gather your team and review processes to see where you can make small but meaningful tweaks. Start meetings with short check-ins: not about work, but about humans. Respect people\u2019s time through clear agendas and community expectations for smartphone use.<\/p>\n
Onboarding is a critical period for establishing culture. At one workplace, we abandoned the all-office \u201cwelcome lunch\u201d for new hires. Instead, individual staff signed up for 1:1 lunches and coffees for the first two weeks. This fostered meaningful interaction and distributed connection work across more people.<\/p>\n
3. Favor micro-rituals over big events<\/h3>\n
Culture work is a long-term investment that relies on developing social habits\u2014just like starting an exercise routine or learning a musical instrument. When it comes to building community, small, frequent, and regular actions are more impactful than an annual extravaganza.<\/p>\n
By offering an array of rituals and routines rather than quasi-mandatory \u201cfun,\u201d you also appeal to diverse needs within your organization.<\/p>\n
Final thoughts<\/h4>\n
Community building isn’t something extra: It’s woven into every process you already have. This doesn’t make the work easier; in some ways, it\u2019s harder, because there\u2019s no single initiative to launch, budget line to approve, or deliverables to track.<\/p>\n
But it does mean you can start where you are, with what you have, today.<\/p>\n
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