Shaping Culture: Turning the Invisible Into Intentional

Oct 22

people in a business meeting setting around a table with the word Culture in the middle of the table.

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast." – Peter Drucker, Managing Oneself

Every leader and faculty member has heard it: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” But here’s the problem—most of us talk about culture without really knowing what it is or how to shape it.

Culture isn’t posters on the wall or lofty mission statements. It’s the shared norms, behaviors, and “this is how we do things here” that determine whether strategies thrive—or quietly die.

In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle notes that high-performing cultures consistently generate safety, connection, and purpose. Edgar Schein, one of the foremost thinkers in organizational development, reminds us that culture is created by what leaders consistently pay attention to, reward, or tolerate.

If we want a better outcome—whether that’s innovation in teaching, stronger scholarship, or more engaged faculty—we have to start by intentionally shaping the culture.

Here are three practical ways to do it.

1. Define the Behaviors that Reflect Your Desired Culture

Key Idea: You can’t change what you can’t describe.

Too often, we say we want a “culture of innovation” or a “culture of collaboration” without spelling out what those cultures actually look like in practice. Without clarity, people default to old habits.

Try This:

Translate big words (e.g. innovation) into specific behaviors you want to see.
Ask: “If we lived this value, what would it look like in daily teaching, research, or meetings?”
Write down and repeat those behaviors until they become habits or part of the norm.

Example:
Instead of saying “we want collaboration,” define it: “Faculty share at least one teaching practice with colleagues each semester.”

2. Model and Reward the Culture You Want

Key Idea: What leaders pay attention to becomes the culture.

Schein reminds us: culture isn’t shaped by memos—it’s shaped by what leaders consistently notice, question, and celebrate. Faculty and staff watch for signals of what really matters.

Try This:

Recognize and thank faculty who demonstrate desired behaviors.
Begin meetings with shoutouts that highlight cultural wins (e.g., risk-taking, student success)
Share your own missteps and lessons learned- modeling openness lowers fear.

Example:
A dean highlights a faculty member who piloted a new assessment—even if it wasn’t perfect. The recognition signals that experimentation is valued over perfection.

3. Create Small Rituals that Reinforce Culture

Key Idea: Culture is built in the daily rhythms of an organization.

In The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni notes that small, repeated practices often define whether culture flourishes. Rituals anchor values into daily life.

Try This:

Add a “What worked and what didn’t?” round at the end of every meeting.
Establish faculty peer-observation days to normalize feedback and learning.
Host innovation lunches where people share experiment, not just successes.

Example:
A department institutes a monthly “failure share” where faculty talk about what didn’t work and what they learned. Over time, psychological safety becomes embedded in the culture.

Final Thoughts:

Culture isn’t mysterious—it’s the everyday habits, signals, and stories that shape how people behave. If we want to change culture, we need to stop treating it as invisible and start treating it as intentional.

By defining behaviors, modeling consistently, and embedding small rituals, faculty and leaders can align culture with the outcomes they most want to achieve.

Because in the end, culture doesn’t just eat strategy—it decides whether strategy ever leaves the plate.

Next Steps to Elevate Your Culture:

Looking for a thought partner to help identify cultural levers to drive meaningful, lasting change? We offer professional coaching and mentorship to support your leadership in academic pharmacy. Together, you can achieve next-level results.