In this post, we’ll unpack all you need to know about culture decks, defining exactly what they are, how to create them and more.
What Is A Culture Deck?
A culture deck (CD) is a tool that is used for establishing a business’ culture. It ensures everyone within an organisation knows what is expected by capturing a business’ ideals.
The same way no two businesses are alike, no two culture decks are alike. Culture decks come in different formats, they look different and they contain different information.
How To Create An Effective Culture Deck
A culture deck requires you to be thoughtful and intentional about what you stand for, what you believe in and what makes your business unique. While every deck is different, they all share the same fundamental principles. Below are five keys to creating an effective deck.
- Centre On Your Mission ― Your deck should focus on your mission. Your mission is your ultimate purpose which serves as a specific and positive vision of a future ideal you want to create.
- Build In Your Values ― While your mission is about what you want to achieve, your values are about how you’re going to achieve it. Values define what is important to your business which guide your employees’ decisions.
- Be Transparent ― Ensure you make it clear how you define success and how you define failure as well as what behaviour you tolerate in your business and what behaviour you do not tolerate.
- Get Everyone Involved ― Seeking the opinions and perspectives of everyone within your business will not only strengthen your culture deck but it will increase the likelihood that people buy-in to and uphold it.
- Overcommunicate Your Culture Deck ― A culture deck is useless unless it is being used. By weaving your culture deck into your daily operations, employees are more likely to leverage it.
It is important to bear in mind that an effective culture deck evolves over time. As your business grows and changes, so should your culture deck. Therefore, you should continuously refine and update your culture deck so that it reflects your business and its history.
You may also want to consider making your culture deck available to the public. Doing so will not only help potential new employees determine whether they align with you, but it may also help strengthen your relationship with your customers.
Summary
A culture deck is a business’ internal compass that iterates to everyone within the organisation what is expected and is used to establish a business’ culture.
The key to creating an effective deck is to focus on your mission and core values, to be transparent, to involve as many people as possible in the creation process and finally to weave the it into your business’ daily operations.
Ultimately, a culture deck should be easy to reference and should contain practical information that is simple to both understand and apply.
