There are so many terms that are either overused or used in a way that lacks the true meaning of the word. I for one am guilty of overusing the word “amazing”. I use it often. Webster would define amazing as causing astonishment, great wonder or surprise. Now more times than not, when I utter the expression “that’s amazing”, whatever just took place did not cause me astonishment, great wonder or surprise. Sure, there are times when I use the word appropriately, but there are plenty of times when “neat”, “cool”, “good”, etc would have been the truly appropriate word to use in the particular context to be accurate.

So what does this have to do with company culture? I truly believe that company culture is a term that is vastly misused or misunderstood. I am not sure exactly when it happened or how it happened (perhaps a future in depth study!), but company culture became solely linked with the social aspects of a working environment. As someone who is always trying to learn about how other company cultures function, I often ask about the culture of the companies where people I meet work. An extremely high percentage of people that respond favorably immediately go on to elaborate on the social aspects of the company. “We have a great culture! We always are sure to celebrate birthdays, we have a couple of outings each year and we often order pizza on Fridays”

Is this what you think of when you hear the words company culture? While I do see this as a part of company culture, and a rather important part, I do only see it as a sliver of the big picture. Most of the functions of business take place outside of these activities. Yes, relationship building and having quality personal time together can be instrumental, but if this is where company culture starts and ends, I think there is plenty to be desired. Join me for part 2 to discuss Company Culture… More Than Pizza On Fridays!