{"id":4717,"date":"2021-10-08T11:10:31","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T15:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?p=4717"},"modified":"2023-12-12T14:34:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T19:34:15","slug":"what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><button id=\"listenButton1\" class=\"responsivevoice-button\" type=\"button\" value=\"Play\" title=\"ResponsiveVoice Tap to Start\/Stop Speech\"><span>&#128266; Listen to this article<\/span><\/button>\n        <script>\n            listenButton1.onclick = function(){\n                if(responsiveVoice.isPlaying()){\n                    responsiveVoice.cancel();\n                }else{\n                    responsiveVoice.speak(\"At The Diversity Movement, we talk often about how to \u201cimprove organizational culture,\u201d \u201cbuild a more inclusive culture,\u201d and \u201cunlock workplace cultures of excellence.\u201d In fact, I\u2019d say \u201cculture\u201d is one of our biggest points of focus, and that\u2019s because we know how important it is for organizations that want to succeed in the modern marketplace.\u00a0 Corporate culture makes a critical difference in a business\u2019s potential to attract top talent, nurture productivity and collaboration, insist on excellence, reach its growth goals, and expand its market reach. We teach the organizations we work with how to shift their existing cultures to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive so that every employee is encouraged and able to contribute their best possible work. Yet, we also understand that \u201cculture\u201d can be a slippery term: sometimes ambiguous, jargony, and vague, other times clear but overused. Each one of us is part of many different cultures: ones that exist at the national level, organizational levels (like work and local community cultures), and ones that are specific to our identity groups. For instance, I am part of American national culture, The Diversity Movement\u2019s organizational culture, and the group cultures of motherhood, married people, women, running, fitness, the middle class, the Millennial generation, people who were raised in the South, and more. Some of my culture groups are more important to me than others. I identify more strongly with them because I feel more aligned with the pervasive culture of that group. (You\u2019ll notice I put running and fitness ahead of my identity as a Southerner.)\u00a0 Creating the right business culture is important because employees can simply opt out if they don\u2019t feel aligned with your organization\u2019s cultural values. I cannot opt out of being from the South, even if I do not strongly identify with most Southern cultural values. But, if I feel like the culture of my workplace doesn\u2019t align with my personal values, I can easily go find a place that does.\u00a0 As part of Global Diversity Awareness Month, which gives us an opportunity to celebrate cultural diversity and each person\u2019s multiple, intersecting cultural identities, let\u2019s take a deeper look at what culture is, where it lives, and why it matters. Defining culture As social psychologist Geert Hofstede explains, culture is \u201cthe collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others.\u201d Hofstede, who passed away in February 2020, was one of the preeminent cultural researchers in modern history and most well-known for his cultural dimensions theory, which he developed by studying employee values at IBM in the 60s and 70s. In his six decades of psychological research, Hofstede studied both national and organizational cultures, designing conceptual frameworks to understand both. I\u2019ll oversimplify the depth of his work, but in brief, what cultural dimensions theory teaches is that national cultures differ on six key dimensions, each of which exists along a spectrum:\u00a0 large v. small, strong v. weak, individualism v. collectivism, masculinity v. femininity, long-term v. short-term orientation, and indulgence v. restraint. National cultures differ primarily in their values, and customs are seen as an expression of those values. Each person\u2019s membership in a national culture is involuntary and typically programmed before they can be cognizant of it. That means, our national values are deeply ingrained.\u00a0 Organizational cultures differ around six different dimensions (again, each one of which exists along a spectrum). Organizations are: process v. results-oriented, employee v. job-oriented, parochial vs. professional, open v. closed system, loose v. tight control, and pragmatic vs. normative. Where national culture is programmed in early childhood, organizational culture is \u201cacquired through socialization at the work place, which most people enter as adults\u2014that is, with their basic values firmly in place.\u201d Also, where national cultures focus on values, \u201corganization cultures differ mostly at the level of the more superficial practices: symbols, heroes, and rituals.\u201d\u00a0 Where culture lives Put simply, corporate culture exists in daily practices like how you conduct meetings and who you reward, promote, and praise as an example of good work. It lives in the small moments of interaction with other people and with each task itself. For instance, what is the pace of work at your business? Who is delegating, and how do they do it? Are people expected to ask for help, and if so, how? Are they rewarded for pushing back on negative behavior? How are you defining exceptional performance, and what tools are you using to incentivize great work? While national culture may be unconscious and automatic, organizational culture is self-aware, and it can be managed. By using respectful interpersonal behavior, inclusive language, and best practices for modern leadership, we can create more inclusive workplace cultures that, in terms of Hofstede\u2019s dimensions, are employee oriented. Meaning, they make all members of the organization feel personally valued, welcome, and respected.\u00a0 These small moments are important because they exist as pervasive, external expressions of what an organization truly values. Another name to know here is Edgar Schein, a former professor and researcher at M.I.T. whose research into organization culture and leadership is central to the field. Schein\u2019s model shows that organizational culture exists at three levels: observable artifacts (like the daily practices mentioned above), espoused values (which are openly stated by organization leadership), and invisible assumptions (which underlie an organization\u2019s espoused values and are not directly observable).\u00a0 Assumptions are the things your organization actually believes. As Leadership Center so simply phrases it, they\u2019re \u201cthe understood, traditional and unofficial ways of being, doing and feeling\u201d in your organization. This is where your culture actually lives, and it\u2019s what you need to change if you really want to reap the benefits of culture transformation, like better problem solving and decision making.\u00a0 Why culture matters A positive and productive organizational culture is important because what we know about high performance -- and high-achieving teams --\u00a0 is that all people need psychological safety to perform well. Negative environments trigger the amygdala into a fight-or-flight response where we cannot be creative or exceptional.\u00a0 As Harvard Business Review phrases it, \u201cWhen the workplace feels challenging but not threatening [...] oxytocin levels in our brains rise, eliciting trust and trust-making behavior. This is a huge factor in team success.\u201d That is, by creating an organizational culture that encourages diverse thought, curiosity, and collaboration, \u201cyou can expect to see higher levels of engagement, increased motivation to tackle difficult problems, more learning and development opportunities, and better performance,\u201d which of course leads to greater profitability and a stronger bottom line. In today\u2019s market -- and tomorrow\u2019s -- the most successful and sustainable organizations are those who know how to create cultures that clear the path and set the conditions for their employees\u2019 best work by treating those employees with dignity and respect, regardless of their background, demographics, or identity terms. But, you cannot create long-term culture change simply by changing the trappings of your culture (the artifacts and espoused values). You have to dig in and change the assumptions as well.\u00a0 Perhaps that\u2019s why 60 years of corporate diversity training programs have so often failed. It\u2019s also why The Diversity Movement is different. For us, diversity, equity, and inclusion isn\u2019t the end of the journey. It is a means to greater cultural change and a way to create more sustainable organizations at large. When you\u2019re ready to get started, we\u2019re ready to help. Unlocking workplace excellence is hard. We make it easier.\", \"US English Male\");\n                }\n            };\n        <\/script>\n     <\/br><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At The Diversity Movement, we talk often about how to \u201cimprove organizational culture,\u201d \u201cbuild a more inclusive culture,\u201d and \u201cunlock workplace cultures of excellence.\u201d In fact, I\u2019d say \u201cculture\u201d is one of our biggest points of focus, and that\u2019s because we know how important it is for organizations that want to succeed in the modern marketplace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Corporate culture makes a critical difference in a business\u2019s potential to attract top talent, nurture productivity and collaboration, insist on excellence, reach its growth goals, and expand its market reach. We teach the organizations we work with how to shift their existing cultures to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive so that every employee is encouraged and able to contribute their best possible work. Yet, we also understand that \u201cculture\u201d can be a slippery term: sometimes ambiguous, jargony, and vague, other times clear but overused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each one of us is part of many different cultures: ones that exist at the national level, organizational levels (like work and local community cultures), and ones that are specific to our identity groups. For instance, I am part of American national culture, The Diversity Movement\u2019s organizational culture, and the group cultures of motherhood, married people, women, running, fitness, the middle class, the Millennial generation, people who were raised in the South, and more. Some of my culture groups are more important to me than others. I identify more strongly with them because I feel more aligned with the pervasive culture of that group. (You\u2019ll notice I put running and fitness ahead of my identity as a Southerner.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating the right business culture is important because employees can simply opt out if they don\u2019t feel aligned with your organization\u2019s cultural values. I cannot opt out of being from the South, even if I do not strongly identify with most Southern cultural values. But, if I feel like the culture of my workplace doesn\u2019t align with my personal values, I can easily go find a place that does.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As part of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/global-diversity-awareness-monthguide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Global Diversity Awareness Month<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which gives us an opportunity to celebrate cultural diversity and each person\u2019s multiple, intersecting cultural identities, let\u2019s take a deeper look at what culture is, where it lives, and why it matters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8876 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-1024x341.png\" alt=\"TDM Library: your one-stop-shop for update, expert DEI Resources. Explore the platform with a free trial. Click here to learn more.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"341\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-600x200.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/341;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Defining culture<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As social psychologist <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbvaopenmind.com\/en\/authors\/geert-hofstede\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Geert Hofstede<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> explains, culture is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others.\u201d Hofstede, who passed away in February 2020, was one of the preeminent cultural researchers in modern history and most well-known for his <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hofstede%27s_cultural_dimensions_theory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cultural dimensions theory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which he developed by studying employee values at IBM in the 60s and 70s. In his six decades of psychological research, Hofstede studied both national and organizational cultures, designing conceptual frameworks to understand both.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ll oversimplify the depth of his work, but in brief, what cultural dimensions theory teaches is that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">national <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cultures differ on six key dimensions, each of which exists along a spectrum:\u00a0 large v. small, strong v. weak, individualism v. collectivism, masculinity v. femininity, long-term v. short-term orientation, and indulgence v. restraint. National cultures differ primarily in their <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">values<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and customs are seen as an expression of those values. Each person\u2019s membership in a national culture is involuntary and typically programmed before they can be cognizant of it. That means, our national values are deeply ingrained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organizational <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cultures differ around <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.referenceforbusiness.com\/encyclopedia\/Con-Cos\/Corporate-Culture.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">six different dimensions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (again, each one of which exists along a spectrum). Organizations are: process v. results-oriented, employee v. job-oriented, parochial vs. professional, open v. closed system, loose v. tight control, and pragmatic vs. normative. Where national culture is programmed in early childhood, organizational culture is \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acquired through socialization at the work place, which most people enter as adults\u2014that is, with their basic values firmly in place.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Also, where national cultures focus on values, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201corganization cultures differ mostly at the level of the more superficial practices: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbvaopenmind.com\/en\/articles\/national-cultures-organizational-cultures-and-the-role-of-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">symbols, heroes, and rituals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Where culture lives<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Put simply, corporate culture exists in daily practices like how you conduct meetings and who you reward, promote, and praise as an example of good work. It lives in the small moments of interaction with other people and with each task itself. For instance, what is the pace of work at your business? Who is delegating, and how do they do it? Are people expected to ask for help, and if so, how? Are they rewarded for pushing back on negative behavior? How are you defining exceptional performance, and what tools are you using to incentivize great work?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While national culture may be unconscious and automatic, organizational culture is self-aware, and it can be managed. By using respectful interpersonal behavior, inclusive language, and best practices for modern leadership, we can create more inclusive workplace cultures that, in terms of Hofstede\u2019s dimensions, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">employee oriented<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Meaning, they make all members of the organization feel personally valued, welcome, and respected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These small moments are important because they exist as pervasive, external expressions of what an organization truly values. Another name to know here is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wiley.com\/en-us\/Organizational+Culture+and+Leadership%2C+5th+Edition-p-9781119212041\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edgar Schein<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a former professor and researcher at M.I.T. whose research into organization culture and leadership is central to the field. Schein\u2019s model shows that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/2012books.lardbucket.org\/books\/an-introduction-to-organizational-behavior-v1.0\/s19-01-understanding-organizational-c.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">organizational culture exists at three levels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: observable artifacts (like the daily practices mentioned above), espoused values (which are openly stated by organization leadership), and invisible assumptions (which underlie an organization\u2019s espoused values and are not directly observable).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assumptions are the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">things your organization <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">actually<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> believes. As Leadership Center so simply phrases it, they\u2019re \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leadershipcentre.org.uk\/artofchangemaking\/theory\/3-levels-of-organisational-culture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the understood, traditional and unofficial ways of being, doing and feeling<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d in your organization<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This is where your culture <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">actually <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lives, and it\u2019s what you need to change if you really want to reap the benefits of culture transformation, like better problem solving and decision making.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Why culture matters<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A positive and productive organizational culture is important because what we know about high performance &#8212; and high-achieving teams &#8212;\u00a0 is that all people need psychological safety to perform well. Negative environments trigger the amygdala into a fight-or-flight response where we cannot be creative or exceptional.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Harvard Business Review phrases it, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen the workplace feels<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2017\/08\/high-performing-teams-need-psychological-safety-heres-how-to-create-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">challenging but not threatening<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[&#8230;] oxytocin levels in our brains rise, eliciting trust and trust-making behavior. This is a huge factor in team success.\u201d That is<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, by creating an organizational culture that encourages diverse thought, curiosity, and collaboration, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you can expect to see higher levels of engagement, increased motivation to tackle difficult problems, more learning and development opportunities, and better performance,\u201d which of course leads to greater profitability and a stronger bottom line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In today\u2019s market &#8212; and tomorrow\u2019s &#8212; the most successful and sustainable organizations are those who know how to create cultures that clear the path and set the conditions for their employees\u2019 best work by treating those employees with dignity and respect, regardless of their background, demographics, or identity terms. But, you cannot create long-term culture change simply by changing the trappings of your culture (the artifacts and espoused values). You have to dig in and change the assumptions as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps that\u2019s why 60 years of corporate diversity training programs have so often failed. It\u2019s also why <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/TDM_One_Page_Summer_2021_V8.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Diversity Movement is different<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. For us, diversity, equity, and inclusion isn\u2019t the end of the journey. It is a means to greater cultural change and a way to create more sustainable organizations at large.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re ready to get started, we\u2019re ready to help. Unlocking workplace excellence is hard. We make it easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-8041 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-1024x85.png\" alt=\"Display ad for TDM Library. Text says &quot;Find more content like this in TDM Library. Start my free trial&quot;\" width=\"1024\" height=\"85\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-1024x85.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-600x50.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-300x25.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-768x64.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/85;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At The Diversity Movement, we talk often about how to \u201cimprove organizational culture,\u201d \u201cbuild a more inclusive culture,\u201d and \u201cunlock workplace cultures of excellence.\u201d In fact, I\u2019d say \u201cculture\u201d is15<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,39,5],"tags":[],"tdm_type":[92],"class_list":["post-4717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employee-experience-organizational-culture","category-global-diversity-awareness-blogs","category-blogs","tdm_type-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter? - The Diversity Movement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As part of Global Diversity Awareness Month, let\u2019s take a deeper look at what culture is, where it lives, and why it matters.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter? - The Diversity Movement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As part of Global Diversity Awareness Month, let\u2019s take a deeper look at what culture is, where it lives, and why it matters.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Diversity Movement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-10-08T15:10:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-12T19:34:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM-1024x674.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"674\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Walk West\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Walk West\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Walk West\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51\"},\"headline\":\"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-08T15:10:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-12T19:34:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/\"},\"wordCount\":1285,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Employee Engagement &amp; Organizational Culture\",\"Global Diversity Awareness Blogs\",\"x Blogs\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/\",\"name\":\"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter? - The Diversity Movement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-08T15:10:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-12T19:34:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"As part of Global Diversity Awareness Month, let\u2019s take a deeper look at what culture is, where it lives, and why it matters.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM.png\",\"width\":2138,\"height\":1408,\"caption\":\"Family enjoying dinner together\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/type\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Diversity Movement\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Diversity Movement\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":619,\"caption\":\"The Diversity Movement\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thediversitymovement\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/thediversitymovement\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51\",\"name\":\"Walk West\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Walk West\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter? - The Diversity Movement","description":"As part of Global Diversity Awareness Month, let\u2019s take a deeper look at what culture is, where it lives, and why it matters.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter? - The Diversity Movement","og_description":"As part of Global Diversity Awareness Month, let\u2019s take a deeper look at what culture is, where it lives, and why it matters.","og_url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/","og_site_name":"The Diversity Movement","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/","article_published_time":"2021-10-08T15:10:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-12T19:34:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":674,"url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM-1024x674.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Walk West","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Walk West","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/"},"author":{"name":"Walk West","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51"},"headline":"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter?","datePublished":"2021-10-08T15:10:31+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-12T19:34:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/"},"wordCount":1285,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM.png","articleSection":["Employee Engagement &amp; Organizational Culture","Global Diversity Awareness Blogs","x Blogs"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/","name":"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter? - The Diversity Movement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM.png","datePublished":"2021-10-08T15:10:31+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-12T19:34:15+00:00","description":"As part of Global Diversity Awareness Month, let\u2019s take a deeper look at what culture is, where it lives, and why it matters.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screen-Shot-2021-10-08-at-11.07.16-AM.png","width":2138,"height":1408,"caption":"Family enjoying dinner together"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/what-is-culture-where-live-why-matter\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/type\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What is Culture Anyway? Where Does it Live, and Why Does it Matter?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/","name":"The Diversity Movement","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#organization","name":"The Diversity Movement","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Stack-Blue.jpg","width":1500,"height":619,"caption":"The Diversity Movement"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thediversitymovement\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thediversitymovement\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/thediversitymovement\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/96226c18fc3fda99e138ea5726960e51","name":"Walk West","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/098990f08f15560a82addd4bf4c3ec68a20487d4d17beade5a7e24775b385f86?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Walk West"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4717"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8998,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4717\/revisions\/8998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4717"},{"taxonomy":"tdm_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tdm_type?post=4717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}