Many leaders I meet will tell me that they have good cultures. They’re justifiably proud of their companies, their people, and the environment in which those people work. But when I press a little harder and ask what they mean by a “good” culture, I hear things like this: Our people get along Our people are engaged Our people like coming to work And when I ask their people what makes it a “good” culture, they add things like: I feel appreciated I enjoy the people I work with We have pizza every Friday We can wear jeans We have …

Here’s something I’ve noticed a lot lately: Much of the literature around organizational culture has a heavy emphasis on the importance of articulating the values and beliefs that define a company’s culture. The thinking is that if you can clearly articulate the core principles that are truly central to who you are, then you can drive greater organizational alignment. It sounds pretty smart, but does it really work? I’m not so sure.  What’s the impact? I have to admit that I’m a bit of a contrarian on this point. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong, and in fact, there’s a …