This is such a great read for this time of year when people are reorging and restrategising at full speed. It reminded me of the work I’ve done on how narratives are defined by those with power, I love this take on how the worker bees fill in the gaps when announcements are vague and how that impacts culture. Thank you everyone!
Super interesting, thanks for sharing! I agree it’s hard to define or put your finger on. It’s probably an umbrella term that mixes together lots of different smaller things. When you move companies or countries you will experience rather different things. Those things do add up to something, which (for better or for worse!) we label as culture. But as you say if you try to fix ‘culture’ it’s hard to tell what exactly it is that is going wrong. I think your article makes that really clear 👌🏼
Thanks for raising this! Yes, holacracy and other self-managed models have their own version of the “unofficial organisation”. Even when hierarchy is minimised on paper, people still need orientation: who has context, who’s trusted, who can unblock decisions, what’s safe to challenge and how conflict is handled. Under uncertainty, those dynamics don’t disappear and will just show up through different channels (reputation, meeting dynamics, informal alliances, access to information).
So the article’s point still holds in my view: when clarity is missing, a market for explanation emerges, and the system will generate its own rules. In self-managed setups, the risk is often that power becomes harder to see and therefore harder to correct.
What a great read! It feels especially timely. The idea that culture is an “information environment” rather than a value statement is clarifying.
What stayed with me is your framing of uncertainty as an accelerator, not a creator. It doesn’t invent dysfunction—it magnifies what’s latent. That feels applicable beyond organisations, even to families or communities. In moments of instability, informal leaders emerge. The real question becomes: who is rewarded for certainty, and at what cost to truth? That tension is worth sitting with.
Thank you for the feedback! Honestly I’m starting to find that more and more of classic leadership and organisational development advice is remarkably applicable to everyday life and family dynamics too
I love that observation — and I agree. The longer I sit with organisational dynamics, the more they feel like amplified versions of family systems. Informal power, unspoken rules, alliances, silence as data — they’re all present at the dinner table long before they show up in boardrooms.
What struck me in your piece is that “culture” is less about statements and more about patterns of response. That feels universally human. Whether in companies or families, the question becomes: what happens when someone names something uncomfortable? That’s where culture reveals itself. Thank you for articulating that so clearly.
Great aspect to highlight, Kunlun — uncertainty and ambiguity is difficult to sit with. But letting that tension sit gives new ideas and concepts room to breathe, grow, and maybe even flourish!
Yes — that’s beautifully put. Letting the tension sit is so countercultural. Most systems rush to resolve ambiguity because it’s uncomfortable. But as you suggest, premature certainty can suffocate better ideas before they’ve had a chance to form.
I’m especially drawn to the idea that ambiguity isn’t just something to manage — it’s something to metabolize. The quality of leadership might be measured less by how quickly clarity is imposed, and more by how safely uncertainty is held. That’s a difficult discipline, but such an important one.
This is an excellent collaboration - so spot on!
This is such a great read for this time of year when people are reorging and restrategising at full speed. It reminded me of the work I’ve done on how narratives are defined by those with power, I love this take on how the worker bees fill in the gaps when announcements are vague and how that impacts culture. Thank you everyone!
Thanks for the feedback! It’s really nice to hear when an article reminds others of their own experiences in similar contexts 😀
Interestingly, there’s no evidence that leaders can actually “shape” culture towards some desired outcome.
If culture exists at all (and there’s not much evidence to support that), there’s no agreement on what the term means or how to measure it.
There’s also no meaningful link in the research between “culture” and performance.
More here if of interest:
https://senselabs.substack.com/p/corporate-culture-the-modern-day
Super interesting, thanks for sharing! I agree it’s hard to define or put your finger on. It’s probably an umbrella term that mixes together lots of different smaller things. When you move companies or countries you will experience rather different things. Those things do add up to something, which (for better or for worse!) we label as culture. But as you say if you try to fix ‘culture’ it’s hard to tell what exactly it is that is going wrong. I think your article makes that really clear 👌🏼
And even more interesting, much of the bad behaviour we blame on “culture” is entirely predicted by the research into power….
https://senselabs.substack.com/p/we-blame-culture-when-organisations
You’ve been busy with some excellent stuff in early 2026! 👏🏼 I’ve added this one to my reading list
Is there consideration for holacracy or self-managed organizations? Certainly, there are challenges with these structures as well.
Thanks for raising this! Yes, holacracy and other self-managed models have their own version of the “unofficial organisation”. Even when hierarchy is minimised on paper, people still need orientation: who has context, who’s trusted, who can unblock decisions, what’s safe to challenge and how conflict is handled. Under uncertainty, those dynamics don’t disappear and will just show up through different channels (reputation, meeting dynamics, informal alliances, access to information).
So the article’s point still holds in my view: when clarity is missing, a market for explanation emerges, and the system will generate its own rules. In self-managed setups, the risk is often that power becomes harder to see and therefore harder to correct.
Thanks! I agree with your take on this.
What a great read! It feels especially timely. The idea that culture is an “information environment” rather than a value statement is clarifying.
What stayed with me is your framing of uncertainty as an accelerator, not a creator. It doesn’t invent dysfunction—it magnifies what’s latent. That feels applicable beyond organisations, even to families or communities. In moments of instability, informal leaders emerge. The real question becomes: who is rewarded for certainty, and at what cost to truth? That tension is worth sitting with.
Thank you for the feedback! Honestly I’m starting to find that more and more of classic leadership and organisational development advice is remarkably applicable to everyday life and family dynamics too
I love that observation — and I agree. The longer I sit with organisational dynamics, the more they feel like amplified versions of family systems. Informal power, unspoken rules, alliances, silence as data — they’re all present at the dinner table long before they show up in boardrooms.
What struck me in your piece is that “culture” is less about statements and more about patterns of response. That feels universally human. Whether in companies or families, the question becomes: what happens when someone names something uncomfortable? That’s where culture reveals itself. Thank you for articulating that so clearly.
Great aspect to highlight, Kunlun — uncertainty and ambiguity is difficult to sit with. But letting that tension sit gives new ideas and concepts room to breathe, grow, and maybe even flourish!
Yes — that’s beautifully put. Letting the tension sit is so countercultural. Most systems rush to resolve ambiguity because it’s uncomfortable. But as you suggest, premature certainty can suffocate better ideas before they’ve had a chance to form.
I’m especially drawn to the idea that ambiguity isn’t just something to manage — it’s something to metabolize. The quality of leadership might be measured less by how quickly clarity is imposed, and more by how safely uncertainty is held. That’s a difficult discipline, but such an important one.