Culture vs. Culture Alignment

I hear this quote often when people describe what they believe culture is, and as much as I appreciate the sentiment it communicates, I don't agree with it.

Here's a more helpful way to think about workplace culture.

At its simplest, organizational culture is "the proper way to behave within an organization." In other words, culture is "how things are done around here."A lot of people put so much energy into defining culture that they're missing another critical concept that's right under their noses: Culture ALIGNMENT.

A company's culture is a one-to-many relationship. This is the way things are done around here, and it applies to everyone. One culture for many employees.

Culture alignment is a one-to-one relationship. How the company culture aligns with my own goals, values, and preferences is individual to me.

For example, if two people are applying to work at the same company and learn that this particular company's culture has clear career paths with set timelines for advancement, they may respond to that cultural reality differently. One candidate might see the structure and clarity in the career pathing and find comfort in it, while the other candidate might find it stifling and restrictive.

This is alignment.

The culture doesn't change, but the alignment to the individual can be night and day different depending on what the individual wants and needs. One person's dream job is another person's prison.

Culture ALIGNMENT is how your heart and stomach feel about Monday morning on Sunday night.

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