Core Culture

Core Culture = Purpose + Philosophy + Priorities

What is Core Culture?

The organization’s vital Purpose, distinctive Philosophy and valued Priorities constitute the Core Culture of the organization. Core Culture is the essence of the organization.  As a unit, these elements form the foundation for why the organization is in business and the framework for how it conducts that business. Understanding the organization’s Core Culture is a necessary step in strategic planning, and an essential step in positioning an organization to practice and project the principles that will deliver success.

Core Culture

Analyze your Core Culture, align it with your workplace practices and shape it, if necessary, to enhance your competitiveness. Culture is unique to each organization, and culture can contribute to — or distract from — achieving success. You must first understand your Core Culture before you can ensure that it supports your strategy and, thus, provides the foundation and framework for achieving your goals.

The powerful pairing of Purpose and Philosophy supported by your strategic Priorities form the Core Culture of your organization. Core Culture is the essence of your culture. The Core positions your organization with a defined and unique combination of traits that guide organizational action. Core Culture is the basis for your distinction. With a clear picture of your organization’s Core Culture, everyone in your organization can share the goal of living those attributes in a collection of many different ways. Think of Core Culture as your hidden asset because through culture, members are linked by a set of principles that define the organization and guide its success.

Core Culture and Strategy

The strategy of the organization is its vision, strategic goals and the tactical plans to achieve the goals.

Core Culture and Strategy

Strategy alone cannot move an organization toward success. Culture and strategy must be linked. A well-​​planned strategy will fail if it contradicts the organization’s culture. Be sure that your Core Culture is aligned with and supports your strategy — the vision, strategic goals and tactical action plans of the organization. Core Culture is the foundation for strategy, providing the principles that will move the organization toward its defined success. Additionally, align your Practices and Projections with the Core Culture and the strategy.

Your strategy must be aligned with your Core Culture, and your Core Culture must support your strategy. When they are in sync, your organization will be focused, consistent and positioned to accomplish the goals you envision.

Core Culture provides the foundation and framework for the organization, and strategy provides the pathway for achieving success. If the organization’s Core Culture does not support the strategy, then its efforts to achieve the strategy will be fragmented. Strategy does not succeed if it is not supported by a Core Culture that gives it the capability to execute. This is where most organizations fail. They have the strategy in place, but they lack the culture to nurture its realization. This link is vital and should never be neglected.

Conducting a Core Culture Assessment to define your Core Culture is the first phase of a strategic planning process. Core Culture and strategy are intertwined.

Key Points about Core Culture

Core Culture influences behavior

• Core Culture is often unspoken and goes unchallenged.
• Core Culture is powerful and can be difficult to change.

Culture and strategy are intertwined

• Core Culture will either drive your strategy or sabotage it.
• Core Culture provides the foundation and framework for strategy; therefore, evaluate your Core Culture to be sure it supports your goals.

Core Culture is a collective mindset

• Everyone in the organization must participate in defining the Core Culture.
• Everyone in the organization must understand the Core Culture, and be committed to living the Core principles.

Core Culture is definable, measurable and moldable

• Core Culture consists of the vital Purpose, the distinctive Philosophy and the strategic Priorities of the organization.During the culture-​​defining process, determine if aspects of the current Core Culture require change and assess the potential impact of those changes. The Core Culture must be genuine to the organization, and it must position the organization to be competitive and achieve its goals.
• Once you determine the Core Culture, evaluate the alignment of the organization’s Practices and Projections to that Core Culture. What an organization says is valued should match the actions of its leaders and employees.
• Set measures to monitor how well you are living the Core Culture. Track your progress in aligning your actions to the Core Culture.

Managing Core Culture to Achieve Results

Creating a workplace this powerful begins with understanding culture.

Think for a Moment

• Are your employees united around a small, compelling set of principles that drive success?
• Do your employees flourish at work?
• Do you retain talent because they are connected to your organization not just their jobs?

Managing Core Culture is a core competency that all employees in an organization must understand.

• When employees know what is valued and their actions are aligned with the Core Culture, they are more productive — doing the right things — which supports achieving defined goals and, thus, succeeding in business.
• When employees understand the Core Culture and genuinely value its Core attributes, they are more connected to the organization and more dedicated to its success.

An organization becomes more adaptable and flexible when it knows which attributes to change and which ones to preserve.