How does one “create” culture? ~

I was reading an ESPN column about the demise of Grantland, when this exchange caught my eye.

There’s an old saying — attributed alternatively to management guru Peter Drucker and auto executive Mark Fields — that culture eats strategy for breakfast. I’ve always felt that statement was off the mark because culture also eats strategy for lunch, dinner and snacks.

Now, part of what made Grantland the awesome destination for smart writing was the culture that the editorial team inculcated in the staff.  Grantland was a perfect example of how a great set of editors can mold already-talented and -established writers into a coherent voice that gives the reader a sense of the culture of the organization.

There are more ways to communicate the culture of an organization than just in the formal presence of that group.  There are the rituals they hold on to, the titles used among themselves, the recursive self-references that permeate long-standing organizations, and the attitudes they exhibit toward outsiders.  How is dissension tolerated?  How are new participants welcomed into the fold?  Are there demands for overt displays of allegiance?  How about voluntary self-identification?

While many of you are probably still chuckling over the idea that I actually teach a class about interpersonal communication, the idea that I also teach one on Media & Culture probably doesn’t seem too far-fetched.  We spend an entire hour on the first night of class just talking about the attributes that can define a culture, from language to food & music to geography to shared interests.  But how does it develop, and how does it manifest itself when it does?

This isn’t easy stuff, is it? Continue reading →