How Do We Get Our Culture Right?

Lessons from OpenOrg on Building a Transparent, Tangible, and Trustworthy Culture 🚀

Company culture is the beating heart of your organisation. But getting it right? That’s a whole different ball game. Too often, culture is treated as a “set it and forget it” mission, resulting in vague values posted on a wall or a website with little to no impact on day-to-day actions. The truth is, culture is dynamic, living, and must be actively shaped and nurtured.

For those serious about making culture more than just a buzzword, OpenOrg has become a go-to resource. Known for their expertise in making culture transparent, tangible, and trustworthy, OpenOrg dives deep into the mechanics of how to build a culture that everyone in your organisation can see, feel, and trust. Here’s a look at their approach and practical steps you can take to create a culture that doesn’t just look good on paper but truly works in practice. 🌟

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Step 1: Make Culture Transparent 🌐

Culture shouldn’t be a mystery. It starts with transparency. If your culture isn't visible, it's not tangible. As OpenOrg emphasises, transparency means more than just being open—it’s about making information accessible and understandable so everyone knows how to contribute and thrive. When everyone understands the "why" behind decisions, values, and actions, it creates trust and alignment.

• Open Information Flows: Cultures thrive when information flows freely. At OpenOrg, they advocate for open books, shared decision-making, and clear communication channels. The idea is to make everything visible by default—from financial data to strategic plans—so everyone feels informed and empowered.
• Cultivate Open Dialogue: An open culture thrives on feedback. But how do you ensure people feel safe to speak up? OpenOrg advocates for psychological safety—where employees know their voices are heard and valued without fear of judgment or retribution. This culture of radical candor keeps small problems from becoming big issues and encourages continuous improvement.

Action Point: Start by creating channels for open communication, like transparent meeting notes, public decision logs, and accessible documentation. Make sure these are easy to find and regularly updated. Encourage leaders to model openness by sharing their thought processes behind decisions and inviting questions and challenges from the team.

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Step 2: Make Culture Tangible 🤲

Culture should be something you can see, feel, and measure—not just a set of abstract values. OpenOrg is known for making culture tangible by turning values into visible and actionable behaviors.

• Define Observable Behaviors: What does "innovation" or "collaboration" actually look like in your daily operations? OpenOrg suggests breaking down each core value into specific, observable behaviors that everyone can recognise and replicate. For instance, "collaboration" might mean actively seeking diverse perspectives in meetings.
• Embed Culture in Everyday Practices: The magic happens when culture is embedded into your processes—like hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and team rituals. OpenOrg encourages companies to weave their cultural principles into the fabric of their daily operations. Think of these practices as the rituals that keep your culture alive and kicking.

Action Point: Map out your core values and link them to specific, actionable behaviors. Integrate these into your onboarding processes and team check-ins to keep them top of mind. Use them as a guide for decision-making, ensuring that every process aligns with the desired culture.

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Step 3: Make Culture Trustworthy 🤝

Trust is the glue that holds culture together. Without trust, even the most well-intentioned cultural initiatives will fall flat. OpenOrg places a strong emphasis on building a culture that is trustworthy, where actions consistently align with words.

• Model the Behavior You Want to See: Culture is shaped at the top but lived at every level. Leaders at OpenOrg don’t just talk about their culture—they live it. This means being vulnerable, owning mistakes, and showing commitment to the values that define the organisation.
• Consistency is Key: A culture that fluctuates with the winds of change is one that no one can trust. OpenOrg advocates for consistency—not rigidity—in applying cultural principles across all layers of the organisation. This builds reliability and predictability, which are essential components of trust.
• Empower Through Autonomy: A culture of trust is one where people have the autonomy to make decisions that align with the organisation’s values. OpenOrg suggests moving away from micromanagement and instead empowering teams to solve problems and take ownership of their work. This creates a culture of responsibility and engagement where trust is reciprocal.

Action Point: Create accountability frameworks where both leaders and team members can call out behaviors that don’t align with cultural values. Develop peer feedback systems that promote constructive, values-driven conversations.

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Learning from OpenOrg’s Best Practices 📚

OpenOrg's emphasis on transparency, tangibility, and trustworthiness provides a comprehensive roadmap for organisations to not just define their culture but also make it real, visible, and credible. Here are a few more key takeaways from OpenOrg’s cultural blueprint:

• Document and Share Everything: From your cultural manifesto to decision-making processes, put it all out in the open. This reduces ambiguity and builds a culture of shared understanding.
• Empower Teams with Autonomy: Trust your teams to act in the best interest of the company by decentralising decision-making. When people feel empowered, they’re more likely to embody the company’s values.
• Embrace Cultural Rituals: OpenOrg talks about the power of rituals—recurring activities that reinforce your cultural values. Whether it’s a weekly “shout-out” meeting to celebrate achievements or a monthly “fail fest” to discuss lessons from failures, rituals keep the culture alive.
• Make Culture a Two-Way Street: OpenOrg emphasises the importance of everyone being a culture carrier, not just leadership. Culture should be co-created, with feedback loops and ongoing conversations to keep it evolving.
• Make Culture Evolutionary, Not Static: Culture isn’t set in stone. OpenOrg suggests continually revisiting and refining your cultural principles based on feedback, growth, and new challenges. Involve your team in these discussions to create a sense of ownership and adaptability.

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Your Call to Action: Start Building the Right Culture Today 🚀

Building a culture that is transparent, tangible, and trustworthy isn’t easy, but it’s worth the effort. The principles laid out by OpenOrg provide a solid foundation for any organisation looking to go beyond the superficial and build a culture that truly matters.

👉 How will you make your culture more transparent, tangible, and trustworthy? Reflect on these principles and start small. Share your thoughts or cultural experiments in the comments below. Let’s build cultures that don’t just exist but thrive and inspire. 🌱

For more insights and actionable resources, dive deep into OpenOrg’s comprehensive approach to culture at OpenOrg.fyi. It's time to get culture right!