Examine Your Culture

If we specify that we are talking about excellence in business arts, letters, manners, and so on, and about a form or stage of business civilization, we can apply the following from The Random House College Dictionary to the corporate world.

culture, n. 1. the quality in a person or society that arises from an interest in and acquaintance with excellence in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc. 2. a particular form or stage of civilization.

The dictionary has more to say about culture. It is also

3. the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.

Since a company's culture inspires and informs actions at all levels and over time, this definition can also be applied to the corporate world.

Culture can so mean

4. development or improvement of the mind by education or training.

Education and training play a huge part in creating, developing, inculcating and propagating corporate culture.

First things first...If you don't currently have an orientation program, start one. Focus on CULTURE, not on policies, rules and boring corporate details that employees can read in a manual. Take a good look at policy manual. Less policy - as long as it's good policy - is a smart goal. Your company can't be innovative if it's plowing through reams of policy prose.

Just remember...in innovative cultures, people come first!