Creating the Culture
Listen up.
“Culture is the foundation of a high-performing team.”
”A strong culture creates psychological safety, promotes alignment, and attracts top talent who share your vision.”
Culture is the foundation of a high-performing team.
While skills drive outcomes, it’s your team’s cultural values that shape how those outcomes are achieved. A strong culture fosters collaboration, creativity, and accountability, empowering your team to thrive. In this lesson, we’ll explore how to define, communicate, and reinforce the values that will guide your design team’s success.
Why Cultural Values Matter
Cultural values are more than just words—they are the guiding principles that influence behavior, decision-making, and collaboration. A strong culture creates psychological safety, promotes alignment, and attracts top talent who share your vision. Without clearly defined values, teams can struggle with miscommunication, conflict, and inconsistent performance.
How to Define Your Team’s Cultural Values
◎ Start with Your Vision
Revisit your team’s vision and goals. What kind of culture will support these outcomes? For example, if innovation is a priority, values like curiosity, experimentation, and continuous learning might take center stage.
◎ Engage Your Team
Involve your team in the process to ensure buy-in and relevance. Conduct workshops or surveys to identify behaviors and principles they value most.
◎ Prioritize Clarity
Keep your values concise and actionable. Avoid jargon or generic phrases. For instance, instead of saying “Be innovative,” try “Experiment boldly and learn quickly.”
How to Embed Cultural Values
◎ Lead by Example
Model the values you want to see in your team. Your actions will set the tone for others.
◎ Integrate Values into Everyday Work
Use your values as decision-making criteria in meetings and reviews. Celebrate behaviors that reflect your values, such as collaboration or initiative.
◎ Communicate Consistently
Reinforce values through onboarding, team rituals, and regular check-ins. Share stories or examples that illustrate your values in action.
◎ Measure and Adapt
Conduct regular surveys or feedback sessions to assess how well your team embodies the values. Refine your values as your team grows or priorities evolve.
Example: Creating a Collaborative Culture
Your team’s vision emphasizes cross-functional collaboration. Through workshops, the team identifies key values like “Respect diverse perspectives” and “Communicate openly.” These values are integrated into hiring practices, team retrospectives, and even performance evaluations to ensure alignment and accountability.
Your action item: Define and Activate Your Values
Identify 3–5 core values that align with your vision and goals.
Involve your team in refining these values to ensure relevance and buy-in.
Create an actionable plan to integrate these values into your team’s daily work and decision-making processes.
