Building Culture: acts of power, inclusion and equity

Building Culture: acts of power, inclusion and equity

Written By Raquell M Holmes, Ph.D.

What does it mean to create an inclusive culture?

We hear about it. We talk about it. We want to do it. But we don’t know where to begin. Create a culture? That seems so utterly overwhelming, almost like inventing a whole civilization.

We think about this a lot at improvscience. We help people who want to make changes in their organizations to create a different culture. So we start with a simple idea that we have understood since we were toddlers with blocks: BUILDING.

Building is done with a purpose.

It takes multiple elements. Our improvscience techniques let us use everything we have—camera, text, sound—to see, speak and listen to one another. We intentionally create, we perform something new: a new cultural moment.

The importance of building community, building rapport and camaraderie across cohorts, and building cohesion and synergy across team functions is in the verb building. Culture emerges from the ensemble creating ordinary, daily routines together. The recent Harvard Business Review article by Denise B. Yohn, “Company Culture is Everyone’s Responsibility,” highlights the organizational ensemble:

"Shared responsibility for culture throughout an organization involves different people and functions within the organization playing different roles in developing and maintaining the culture."

Building something takes muscle memory, dexterity and strength.

Our work at improvscience develops the social, emotional muscles and skills everyone—student, employee, managers and C-suite executives—needs to build desired cultures. These skills include listening, being curious, making use of what others offer and appreciation. Yes, appreciation is a skill that can grow with practice.

I appreciate in Yohn’s article that she highlights the “oft overlooked contributors to culture,” the Board of Directors and middle managers. I’m adding emphasis to Yohn’s words here.

"Changes to the culture must be explicitly communicated and vetted by all. Everyone may not agree with the changes, but they must understand them and agree to support them."

When building new culture, everyone—ALL employees and staff—needs the tools to respond, provide input and shape the process. This takes creating environments where all voices CAN be heard. If everyone sounds the same, it's likely voices are missing. We do not need everyone to agree in an environment. We need everyone to build it. The culture each ensemble builds is unique—its people, the pace, the sound and feelings. We humans fall in love with and invest in what we build.

Let’s build together.

Let’s build the cultures we desire.

— Dr. Raquell Holmes