I remember a conversation I had with my mother during my teenage years. I challenged her about why I wanted to do something, I think it was to get a tattoo, along with other reasons, she said “It’s not our culture”. It was the first time I recollect coming at odds with the word ‘culture’. Those four words felt like a speed breaker for many exciting things you want to explore as a teenager.

At that age, you feel like adults throw the ‘Culture’ word around as a quick way to shoot down youthful enthusiasm. As a by-product, for many, a negative feeling towards culture brews up, or at least, I certainly did! To me, culture seemed restrictive, outdated, and something that belonged only to previous generations.

How about you? How did you feel about culture when you were growing up? Was it a wet blanket, dampening your exploration of yourself and the world around you?

Culture of Life

Much later, I came to understand that what my elders often referred to as 'culture' was actually tradition and customs—just a part of what culture truly encompasses. Yet at the time, culture and tradition felt interchangeable—rigid, inflexible and unchanging.

But here’s something crucial I have learned: Culture isn't static; it’s dynamic. It evolves and adapts as people grow, societies change and people’s values shift. Culture in itself isn’t inherently good or bad, right or wrong —what truly matters is how it aligns with our collective and individual context. For culture to remain meaningful, each aspect like traditions, customs, beliefs, values, art, symbols, and more, must stay relevant and adaptable to current realities.

Ironically, today, I find myself echoing similar words to my own son: “ It's our culture.” I use this phrase to help him understand why we do certain things in a certain way and explain the concept behind, “the way things are done around here”.

After all, whether we like it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not, the culture that we come from plays an important part in shaping our identity. It influences how we perceive the world, and guides our interactions with others. I suppose it's a bit like the ‘circle of life’—or perhaps more accurately, the Culture of Life.

People often assume culture itself is the problem, but I disagree. I believe culture is not the problem, it is our blind subjugation to it without contextualizing it to the evolving world. I strongly belief, culture is the bedrock on which, great communities and organisation are built to last. Ideally, every culture intends to nurture its members collectively and individually.

Think about it, If a culture builds community, nurtures identity, and fosters a sense of belonging, then it’s valuable. But, if a culture no longer serves these purposes, then is it our responsibility to question and challenge “the way things are done around here.” Then don't you think “the way things are done around here” needs to change?

Shaping Identities

Let me expand further on how culture shapes our identities, using a personal example that I personally grapple with even today. In my community, there is a practice that continues despite being proven to originate from a flawed interpretation. It involves covering one’s head as a sign of respect during worship. Interestingly, there’s no formal or constitutional rule enforcing this practice, yet it remains deeply entrenched.

This perplexes me. Even with growing awareness and discussions around it, and constitutional enforcement, yet, the practice continues strongly. It feels as though invisible forces govern our sense of social identity and inclusion. Have you ever wondered why certain customs or behaviors persist, even without explicit rules, whether in communities, workplaces, or at home?

The answer to this, is also the secret to why business strategy often fail. Culture isn’t just about official guidelines or written rules. It’s also about beliefs deeply ingrained in our identities. These beliefs often overpower formal policies. Merely changing documented procedures won't achieve lasting impact unless we address these underlying cultural beliefs. This hidden dynamic often creates a conflict between culture and strategy, causing even well-designed business strategies to falter.

Culture significantly influences how we see ourselves, shapes group identities, and governs our interactions within society. It preserves history, promotes diversity, and fosters understanding between different communities. Similarly, a workplace is essentially a melting pot of diverse cultural identities collaborating towards a shared goal. And the linchpin that binds these diverse identities into a cohesive whole is the organization's culture.

Bringing Your Whole Self

Another powerful illustration of organisation culture's impact on our society as a whole, is the historical separation between "work" and "personal life." Society evolved to encourage individuals to maintain distinct personas in each domain. For example, someone might be respectful and inclusive at work, yet behave very differently at home.

To put it bluntly, a person could be verbally abusive to their spouse at home yet remain gentle and courteous at work. This dichotomy of norms created generations struggling with compartmentalization. It genuinely surprises me when, during one-on-one conversations with leaders, I observe that they often fail to transfer basic skills from work into their personal live, even something as simple as saying 'Thank you'.

Today, younger generations increasingly reject this artificial separation. They don’t view work and life as separate compartments. Instead, they demand the right to be their authentic selves at the workplace, unapologetically bringing their whole personalities, emotions, and values into professional environments. This authenticity can conflict with older generations' beliefs about workplace formality and expected behavior. Thus giving way to a multigenerational conflict at workplace.

Now is this right or wrong? that is an over simplification of the situation, rather the better question leaders and organizations should explore is this: What cultural alignment best supports the goals and environment of our workplace? Each element of culture must be relevant to the context in which it exists. Unfortunately many leaders spend their energy defining what's right or wrong within their organizational culture rather than leveraging culture strategically to propel their business forward.

While it may be premature to declare the era of compartmentalizing work and personal life entirely outdated, it's clear that authenticity at work is becoming increasingly valued, recognized as healthier, and ultimately considered more sustainable.

What do you think—is bringing our authentic selves to work sustainable in the long run?

Invisible Cultural Forces

Recent studies indicate that organizations with strong, positive cultures significantly outperform their competitors, with culture-focused organizations experiencing a fourfold increase in revenue growth compared to those without established cultural frameworks.

Clearly, culture matters deeply for organizations and their leaders. However, it's crucial to understand that even a leader equipped with a robust, fact-based strategy can fail if they overlook the invisible cultural forces at play.

Returning to the earlier example about head-covering, if a leader attempts to end this practice without recognizing the deep-seated beliefs behind it, resistance is inevitable. Regardless of logical or well-intentioned strategies these invisible forces naturally pull everyone back toward equilibrium. And the worst impact is, every other initiative by the leader might get effected, where the leader Even worse, such resistance might spill over into other initiatives, rendering the leader and their broader strategy ineffective or even "radioactive.”

Let's break down these invisible cultural forces into clearer pieces, so you can better understand where and how to challenge and evolve the culture within your sphere of influence:

• Shared Beliefs and Values: These are the core principles and moral guidelines that direct behaviors within a culture.

  
  

• Customs and Traditions: Practices and rituals passed down through generations—often the most challenged aspects of any culture, frequently prompting questions like, "Why should we do it this way?"

  
  

• Language and Communication: The ways in which people communicate and express themselves, crucial for passing culture from one generation or group to another.

  
  

• Arts and Literature: Creative expressions like music, dance, literature, and visual arts. Often the most visible manifestations of a culture, reflecting identity and values.

  
  

What does all this mean practically? Culture goes far beyond formal policies or documented procedures. It encompasses the collective beliefs, values, attitudes, behaviors, and emotional connections shaping interactions within an organization. Simply put, it's the invisible glue holding your organization together—for better or worse.

This is my simple belief about culture, whether in the workplace, at home, or within our communities: Culture shapes our identities, defines our interactions, and significantly influences organizational success. Understanding culture means recognizing its dynamic nature, its potential to unify or divide, and its power to transform.

So, the next time someone says, “This is our culture; the way things are done around here,” pause and ask yourself: Does this culture empower and include, or does it restrict and exclude? If the culture no longer serves its intended purpose, perhaps it’s time to courageously rewrite the rules—and confidently declare, “This has been our culture, but this is how things need to be done around here from now on.”