Culture reinforcement system

The question it helps answer

Use the culture reinforcement system to organise the reasoning behind this question: How do hiring, leadership behavior, rewards, communication, and consequences reinforce culture? The working view makes values, behavior, and hiring visible so discussion can move from general opinion to a specific action or decision.

When to use it

Use the culture reinforcement system when people working on organization and culture are using different mental models for values, behavior, and hiring, and that difference is changing choices or coordination.

What it is

The culture reinforcement system is a set of connected concepts for examining one situation from several necessary angles. Its core working elements are values, behavior, hiring, and onboarding. Those elements belong together because each changes how the others should be interpreted or acted on.

Core elements

Values

Translate the idea into observable behaviour, including what good practice looks like under pressure and which anti-pattern to avoid. Within the culture reinforcement system, connect this entry to behavior so the relationship can be reviewed rather than inferred.

Behavior

Translate the idea into observable behaviour, including what good practice looks like under pressure and which anti-pattern to avoid. Within the culture reinforcement system, connect this entry to hiring so the relationship can be reviewed rather than inferred.

Hiring

Capture hiring only at the level needed to answer: How do hiring, leadership behavior, rewards, communication, and consequences reinforce culture? Use observable evidence, name any unresolved judgment, and state what action or choice this entry can change. Within the culture reinforcement system, connect this entry to onboarding so the relationship can be reviewed rather than inferred.

Onboarding

Capture onboarding only at the level needed to answer: How do hiring, leadership behavior, rewards, communication, and consequences reinforce culture? Use observable evidence, name any unresolved judgment, and state what action or choice this entry can change. Within the culture reinforcement system, connect this entry to rituals so the relationship can be reviewed rather than inferred.

Rituals

Capture rituals only at the level needed to answer: How do hiring, leadership behavior, rewards, communication, and consequences reinforce culture? Use observable evidence, name any unresolved judgment, and state what action or choice this entry can change. Within the culture reinforcement system, connect this entry to rewards so the relationship can be reviewed rather than inferred.

Rewards

Capture rewards only at the level needed to answer: How do hiring, leadership behavior, rewards, communication, and consequences reinforce culture? Use observable evidence, name any unresolved judgment, and state what action or choice this entry can change. Within the culture reinforcement system, connect this entry to feedback so the relationship can be reviewed rather than inferred.

Feedback

Capture feedback only at the level needed to answer: How do hiring, leadership behavior, rewards, communication, and consequences reinforce culture? Use observable evidence, name any unresolved judgment, and state what action or choice this entry can change. Within the culture reinforcement system, connect this entry to accountability so the relationship can be reviewed rather than inferred.

Accountability

Assign one accountable owner and distinguish final accountability from contributors, reviewers, and people who must be informed. Within the culture reinforcement system, connect this entry to measures so the relationship can be reviewed rather than inferred.

Measures

Define the measure, population, period, source, owner, calculation, baseline, target or reference range, and counterweight. Within the culture reinforcement system, connect this entry to accountability so the relationship can be reviewed rather than inferred.