Changing Company Culture: Tips and Strategies

Company culture is more than just a buzzword or a section in your employee handbook. 

It's not something you can just write down and expect to manifest. It creates itself organically, through the attitudes and actions of your team that define how you work and more importantly how you work together. 

Today, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the Co-founders of 37signals, sit down with host Kimberly Rhodes to share their perspective on the pivotal distinction between 'wanting' the right culture and actively 'doing the work' to foster a positive culture that truly reflects your values.  

Listen in as they share what they look for in character and contributions when hiring new members for the team and how they assess whether a person will enhance or detract from the company's culture and operations.

And for those facing the tough question of whether their company culture ‘sucks’, they provide valuable insights into the hard choices, and uncomfortable conversations that drive meaningful culture change.

Check out the full video episode on YouTube

Show Notes: 

[00:00] - Kimberly kicks off the show, and a discussion focused on culture from the book Rework.

[00:37] - Your organization’s culture creates itself. Jason shares what culture really represents, how it’s arrived at, and how to change it.  

[02:10] - It's easy to write down what you "want" your culture to be. David shares why that might be a mistake and why it's harder to "do the work" to create a positive culture. 

[04:28] - Kimberly shares her experience reading the company handbook when she began her career with 37signals and the impression it left. 

[05:01] - The goal is not perfection but consistently doing the right things to maintain a fair and representative culture. David shares why aligning your words and actions is crucial to shaping your organization's culture over time.

[06:37] - Culture is show, it’s not tell. It’s the actual temperature of the organization, not the forecast.  

[07:11] - David asks if your culture passes the “smell test.”

[07:36] - Kimberly shares a story about her husband’s experience in tech. She then asks how the team at 37signals has managed to create something so different from the industry standard. 

[08:09] - Standing against Silicon Valley's cultural norms for a more realistic approach to work hours and productivity. David recounts Basecamp's humble beginnings with limited time and resources that prompted 37signals to prioritize efficient time utilization over long hours.

[11:43] - The human factor in culture. Kimberly asks whether the team considers how a new hire will align with the existing company culture.

[12:05] - Jason shares what they look for in character and contributions when hiring new members for the team. Plus, he shares how they assess whether a person will enhance or detract from the company's culture and operations.

[14:30] - Don't be quick to judge. David shares a more accurate way to evaluate the contributions of your team members.    

[16:41] - Does your company culture suck? Kimberly asks for tips on how an organization can improve its culture when it's not aligned with the founder's vision.

[17:12] - The only way to bring about change is to change (hint: it starts at the top). 

[18:41] - Culture change often requires hard choices and uncomfortable conversations—but the results are worthwhile.

[20:41] - Rework is a production of 37signals. You can find show notes and transcripts on our website. Full video episodes are available on YouTube and Twitter