The Ultimate Team Sport: Culture Building

I was tasked with helping spearhead a culture-building exercise for one of our ministries, which is currently undergoing substantial growth in both personnel and workload capacity. In providing some context, our organization, CLDI, operates on core values that steer our actions. However, given the diverse “buckets” or “programs” within our structure, we’re delving into the process of delineating cultural values tailored to each sector. This exercise was conducted collectively as a team, emphasizing honesty, specificity, and long-term vision. Though straightforward in its approach, it revealed significant insights into each team member’s perspective.

The process involved dedicating twenty minutes to individual reflection and visioning, responding to prompts such as: What conditions bring out the best in me within my role? Where is clarity lacking within our team dynamics? What aspects are we excelling in, and where do we need to improve? From these reflections, we distilled common themes and priorities into four foundational values. For instance, notions of ‘Clear Expectations’, ‘Permission to push back’, and ‘Reining each other in’ coalesced into the overarching value of ‘Communication’. Additionally, we embarked on constructing a visual representation of our level one values using LEGO bricks, with the aim of later adding layers representing level two and level three values nested within the foundational ones.

This exercise prompted deeper thought and conversation regarding organizational culture. In my experiencing working with and for organizations, I’ve observed three recurring scenarios:

Situation 1: Organizations invest structured time in developing cultural values, garnering input from all levels, and thrive due to clear communication and accountability.

Situation 2: Organizations are in a state of limbo, with individuals committed to the overarching mission but lacking collective priorities or established values, resulting in unclear roles and expectations.

Situation 3: Leadership is out of touch with their employees. While the organization may appear stellar from an external standpoint (social media, client relationships, community reputation), employees feel overlooked and struggle to meet poorly communicated expectations. 

Cultivating and shaping culture is no easy feat. It’s akin to nurturing a marriage—it’s not defined by grand gestures but rather by daily actions. Similarly, culture isn’t just about retreats and parties; it’s evident in how we treat colleagues, communicate expectations, and celebrate victories alongside providing constructive feedback.

My key takeaway from navigating diverse cultural dynamics is the importance of inclusivity in the process. Engage everyone within your organization; they are pivotal to its cultural and strategic fabric. I urge all leaders to conduct regular culture assessments—it’s an investment that carries substantial weight within your organization, fostering cohesion and resilience in the face of growth and change.