Organizational culture is commonly defined as the human behaviors within an organization and the underlying values that keep those behaviors in place. The first step in influencing your organization’s culture is to visualize the behaviors and values you want at the center of the organization. We refer to this artifact as a culture map

1. | XPLANE 1OUR CULTURE
HOW TO HELP CREATE THE COMPANY CULTURE YOU WANT
JUNE 2014
By Kathryn Jarrell, Vice President of Operations

2. | XPLANE 2OUR CULTURE
HOW TO HELP CREATE THE COMPANY CULTURE YOU WANT
Perhaps when you were a start up, a healthy company
culture developed effortlessly. But then the company started
to take off and you realized you needed more bodies than
you had friends. You needed different roles, talents and
personalities and now you are wondering, what happened to
the culture?
Or maybe your small firm just merged with another. You
knew who you each were, but now you are both trying to
figure out who you collectively are. Suddenly, unspoken rules
and behaviors are in question – what is the right way to
behave?
Or perhaps you're a new leader at an established
organization trying to make big changes. It seems impossible
and everyone agrees on only one thing – the problem is the
culture.

3. | XPLANE 3OUR CULTURE
HOW TO HELP CREATE THE COMPANY CULTURE YOU WANT
• Clarify - Creating a picture forces you to show examples
of what good looks like. It shows employees where they fit
and what they can expect from others.
• Provide direction - People are faced with decisions that
impact the culture everyday. Your map acts like a giant
signpost guiding people towards the behaviors that drive
the culture.
• Create an employee filter - Your map should serve as a
filter for finding and keeping people that are the right fit
and will thrive in your culture. Suddenly when you say, “I
don’t think this person is a good culture fit,” it means
something.
• Provide a common language. - Coaching and mentoring
conversations can be focused around the behaviors and
values on your map and on a common understanding of
what the terms mean.
• Inspire. Your map should give people a sense of
belonging, community and common purpose. Even if it
starts out as aspirational, the map will let people know
that the organization is moving in a positive direction.
Can organizational culture be changed? Can it be
influenced? Can it be … fixed?
I think it can. Organizational culture is commonly defined as
the human behaviors within an organization and the
underlying values that keep those behaviors in place. The
first step in influencing your organization’s culture is to
visualize the behaviors and values you want at the center of
the organization. We refer to this artifact as a culture map. A
culture map will:

4. | XPLANE 4OUR CULTURE
HOW TO HELP CREATE THE COMPANY CULTURE YOU WANT
• Invite employees to help build - The culture map sets
the direction but it’s up to the employees to help make it
real and authentic at the individual level. Include them in
developing the map and invest the time to make sure they
understand it.
• Model it at the top. Once the organization sees
leadership not only supporting but also modeling the
behaviors that support the organizational culture, they
know it’s real.
• Make it prominent. XPLANE hangs our map in our front
entranceway. Put it on the homepage of your intranet or
on the largest wall in your break room but be sure to give
it top tier real estate. It will not influence in your handbook
alone.
• Refer to it often. Your cultural values should be weaved
into the operational fabric of your organization. They
should influence recruiting and hiring, performance
management, internal communications, and how
employees act day-to-day.
A map by itself won’t change your culture. Organizational
culture is intricate and often deep-rooted, requiring a systems
approach to impact. For lasting results, you’ll need these
essential ingredients:

5. | XPLANE 5OUR CULTURE
HOW TO HELP CREATE THE COMPANY CULTURE YOU WANT
Perhaps when you were a start up, a healthy company
Culture change doesn’t happen overnight. XPLANE founders
created our first culture map ten years ago. Parts of it were
aspirational and it took a few years before it was fully part of
our DNA.

6. | XPLANE 6OUR CULTURE
HOW TO HELP CREATE THE COMPANY CULTURE YOU WANT
Two years ago, we revisited the map as a company and
evolved it together based on who we’ve become and where
we’re headed. It remains a cornerstone to how we get work
done, run our business, and treat each other.
Does your organization visualize its culture? I’d love to see
and hear about other examples where this is being done
well.

7. | XPLANE 7OUR CULTURE
www.xplane.com