The Role of Leaders in Culture Conversations that Drive Innovation

Culture is often defined as the shared attitudes, values, and behaviours of a team or organisation.?

However, culture is more than just an abstract set of ideals. In companies like Netflix, it manifests as ongoing conversations, particularly among leaders, who hold each other and their teams accountable to the organisation’s principles and values. These values shape expected behaviours, creating a framework where feedback is regularly provided to align actions with the organisation’s cultural norms. In essence, culture shows up in daily interactions and reinforces a collective understanding: “This is how we do things here.”

Every team has its own culture, but this is inevitably influenced by the broader organisational culture—if one exists. A weak organisational culture results in team cultures that take precedence and that vary significantly across the company, leading to inconsistencies in performance, creativity, and innovation. Without a strong, unified organisational culture, teams will default to their own, which may be reactive and misaligned with the organisation's goals and performance will either be there, or it will not.

In contrast, organisations with strong, intentional cultures, like Netflix, are able to foster high performance, motivation, and innovation across teams. These cultures provide clarity on how decisions are made, who gets hired, and what behaviours are rewarded. In such environments, nothing is left to chance, and employees are aligned in pursuit of common goals.

Unfortunately, many leaders view culture as HR’s responsibility, believing that it ends with onboarding. After employees are introduced to the company's values, these values are often forgotten, rarely discussed or reinforced. This neglect can have serious consequences, from reduced creativity to lower employee engagement and a lack of adaptability to change.

Despite acknowledging the importance of culture, many leaders struggle to manage it effectively. Culture doesn’t just emerge naturally over time. While team cultures may evolve, organisational culture must be actively defined, taught, and reinforced. It is a living entity that evolves alongside the organisation, requiring continuous iteration and feedback. Leaders play a crucial role in transmitting and sustaining this culture, ensuring that it aligns with the company’s mission and strategy.

Why Culture Matters

Strong organisational cultures drive innovation, foster collaboration, and improve overall performance. They also shape how decisions are made, risks are taken, and strategies are developed. Intentional culture-building is one of the most powerful tools leaders have, whether they are guiding entire organisations, product teams, or individual contributors.

Leaders who take ownership of culture can influence everything from decision-making to employee satisfaction. However, defining and reinforcing culture requires intentional effort. Here’s how leaders can help shape a strong organisational culture:

Defining Culture Pillars: Principles, Values, and Behaviours

Identifying and Reinforcing Culture

Building a strong culture starts with defining your organisation’s values and principles but here are other things you can also do.

Once defined, culture should be continuously reinforced:

• Onboarding and Orientation: Culture starts from day one. New hires should be introduced to the organisation’s principles, values, and expected behaviours. Feedback from new employees can help refine these cultural elements over time.
• Leadership Behaviour: Leaders set the tone for the rest of the organisation. They must consistently role model the culture and reinforce it in daily conversations and feedback.
• Communication: How information is shared within the organisation reflects its culture. Is communication open and transparent, or hierarchical and closed?
• Recognition and Rewards: How employees are recognised and rewarded signals which behaviours are valued and encouraged within the organisation.
• Peer Interactions: Colleagues influence each other’s understanding of the culture through conversations, feedback and documents.
• Communities of Practice (CoPs): CoPs offer a platform for knowledge-sharing and help employees engage with the organisation’s culture through its practices.

The Leader’s Role in Culture

Leaders have a unique responsibility in shaping and sustaining culture. They should actively role model the organisation’s values and keep conversations about culture alive. Culture shouldn’t be treated as a static document—it’s a living framework that should evolve with the organisation. Leaders can reinforce culture by discussing principles and values regularly and aligning feedback with cultural expectations.

Culture drives innovation, collaboration, and performance. When embedded effectively, it also becomes a lever for strategic decision-making. By focusing intentionally on culture, leaders can influence not only their teams but also the long-term success of their organisations.

Conclusion

A well-defined and effectively implemented culture is essential for any organisation's success. By articulating clear principles, values, and behaviours, and consistently reinforcing these elements, leaders can create an environment that fosters innovation, collaboration, and high performance. As the Netflix example shows, culture is not just an HR function—it’s a leadership responsibility. By making culture a living, breathing part of the organisation, leaders can shape the future of their teams and their business.