The hottest Organizational Culture Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

The more you talk about culture, the less people believe you

Make Work Better • 441 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Treating culture as a communications campaign backfires — people are skeptical of slogans and town halls when nothing actually changes.
  2. Trust grows when leaders change their behaviour, not when they repeat values; consistent actions by senior leaders meaningfully raise trust, while contradictions between words and deeds breed cynicism.
  3. Sequence matters: deliver concrete changes first, then explain them — show proof through action before launching big communications so people can believe you.

5 Ways Agile Coaches Undermine Agility

Ageling on Agile • 159 implied HN points • 13 Oct 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Agile is not a goal; it's a tool to achieve bigger goals like better teamwork and faster delivery. Coaches should focus on the benefits of Agile instead of just promoting the process itself.
  2. Some Agile Coaches act like salespeople, pushing their one-size-fits-all solution instead of customizing their approach to meet each organization's unique needs. Good coaches listen to what the company really needs first.
  3. Many Agile Coaches focus only on the teams without considering the rest of the organization. Everyone needs to understand how Agile impacts their work to truly benefit from it.

Close the Umbrella

The Engineering Leader • 159 implied HN points • 22 Sep 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Managers should be honest and transparent with their teams. Hiding difficult information can backfire and leave everyone unprepared.
  2. Overprotecting a team can create dependence and limit their growth. It's important for team members to face challenges to develop their skills.
  3. A balanced approach is best. Managers can help their teams focus by filtering out unnecessary distractions while still being transparent about real issues.

Things We Learned Creating Technology Career Steps

It Depends / Nimble Autonomy • 19 implied HN points • 08 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Organizational Culture
  1. Clear connections between career steps and salary are important. When those links are vague, it can create misunderstandings and worries for employees.
  2. Career advancement should focus on behaviors and personal growth, not just achievements. While some people prefer clear advancement criteria, ambiguity can encourage conversations about development.
  3. Ongoing support and communication are essential after launching a new framework. Failing to keep it active can lead to confusion and make the effort feel unimportant over time.

Issue #11 - Dispelling the AI Hype Train

The Data Ecosystem • 139 implied HN points • 23 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Organizational Culture
  1. AI needs a proper plan and strategy to work well. Companies shouldn't think they can just jump in without understanding how it will fit into their overall goals and data.
  2. Many AI projects fail because organizations overlook the importance of data quality and proper infrastructure. Good data practices are essential for AI to be effective.
  3. It's important to get everyone in the company on board with AI. This means training employees and creating a culture that embraces the technology, rather than fearing it.
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Having a Conversation With Myself: 2025

Investing 101 • 55 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Writing is primarily a tool for thinking and self-reflection, and doing it consistently compounds the creator even more than it grows an audience.
  2. Venture capital and startup culture have become noisy and scale-obsessed, so what’s needed are conviction-led or “adventure” investors and builders who focus on durable, mission-driven companies rather than chasing hype.
  3. In a hyperlegible, attention-driven world, embracing nuance, forming independent beliefs, and understanding interdependencies are essential to avoid being programmed by trends and to build things worth building.

On Rules and Rulers.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 46 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. True leadership comes from competence, realism, integrity, empathy, vulnerability and the ability to inspire — it’s about influence, not just a title. Rulers may have formal power but often rely on intimidation, inheritance or fear instead of those leadership behaviors.
  2. People use different internal rulers to measure success (money, family, creativity, peace, etc.), so understanding someone’s incentives helps predict and align behavior. Asking how they define success, how they’re evaluated, and how you can help makes cooperation easier.
  3. A few simple, enduring rules cover most of a good life: sleep and move, spend less than you earn and invest for the long term, find mentors and keep learning, and be grateful and true to your word. The real challenge is doing these consistently.

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Fish Food for Thought • 37 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Being “nice” can become avoidance: trying to spare individual discomfort by postponing hard choices ends up harming the team and shifts unfair costs onto others.
  2. Psychological safety isn’t the same as comfort: real safety comes from clear expectations, honest feedback, and timely decisions, even when conversations are uncomfortable.
  3. Mature leadership balances empathy with decisiveness: caring often looks like setting standards, delivering candid feedback, and sometimes making the hard calls so the system can function.

What we publishing people can learn from that Cloudflare layoff TikTok brouhaha

How to Glow in the Dark • 359 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Organizational Culture
  1. Lesson from Cloudflare layoff: There are useful lessons for everyone in handling layoffs and difficult conversations professionally.
  2. Lesson from Brittany's experience: Be prepared, question feedback that doesn't make sense, and stand up for yourself in professional settings.
  3. Lesson on organizational culture: Though industries may differ, there can be overlap in challenges like attracting talent and handling social media crises.

When Change Outruns Us

Fish Food for Thought • 42 implied HN points • 24 Dec 25
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. When companies change faster than people can adapt, employees get exhausted and stop learning. That creates compliance without conviction and a culture that frays.
  2. Growth needs time to absorb change—quiet intervals for people to make sense, rebuild habits, and consolidate learning. Slack and recovery are not inefficiencies but necessary infrastructure for durable capability.
  3. Leaders should value direction and readiness over raw speed and watch for signs of saturation, slowing the tempo to let changes take root. Measure progress by clarity and strengthened capabilities, not by how many initiatives are launched.

The Most Important Meeting of Your Year

DruGroup • 79 implied HN points • 14 May 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. The nominating committee is super important because it decides who will lead in the future. The people you choose will shape the agenda and priorities for your group.
  2. Having a diverse group of nominees is crucial. It helps ensure that the leadership reflects different backgrounds and perspectives, making the organization stronger.
  3. Leading a nominating committee well can make a big impact. If you prepare properly and focus on the right issues, you'll set your organization up for success for a long time.

How to Foster True Inclusion

Journal of Free Black Thought • 29 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Organizations often focus too much on how they look rather than doing real work for inclusion. This is like putting on a show instead of fixing what's broken.
  2. Inclusion should mean giving everyone a fair chance to succeed based on their abilities, not just trying to make outcomes equal for everyone. We need to ensure that hard work gets recognized.
  3. Instead of just pointing out problems, we should build on what people are doing right and help make those positive actions part of the organization’s culture.

TBM 320: From Fluffy Concepts to Concrete Outcomes & Behaviors

The Beautiful Mess • 555 implied HN points • 10 Nov 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. It's important to translate vague concepts into specific behaviors. Instead of saying you want to be 'data-driven,' describe actual actions that show you are doing this.
  2. Discussing behaviors as a team can spark valuable conversations and help everyone understand what needs to change. It allows people to share experiences and ideas in a meaningful way.
  3. When trying to improve team actions, focus on what gets in the way—like training gaps or social pressures. Identifying these barriers helps create better strategies for change.

When Orgs Become Siloed

Suzan's Fieldnotes • 98 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Leadership is a shared experience, not an individual effort. A siloed leadership team can lead to a siloed organization. To shift organizational behavior, start at the leadership layer.
  2. Signs of a siloed culture include individualism, rise of 'poop umbrellas', influence behind closed doors, and apathy turning into fear. These signs can lead to missed business goals and a slipping company culture.
  3. Siloed cultures often form unintentionally due to tough market conditions, organizational changes, focus on individual parts instead of the system, and lack of intentional culture. Realignment starts by rallying the team around shared objectives, identifying desired team culture, and rewarding desired values.

Navigating the Shift from Feature to Product Teams and Building a Product Mindset

An Innovator's Sketchbook • 98 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Transitioning from feature to product teams involves empowering cross-functional teams focused on outcomes and value.
  2. The localization industry is evolving with AI, leading to job destruction but also creating new business opportunities.
  3. Feedback is important for team growth, and using the 'Situation-Behavior-Impact' framework can lead to effective and powerful feedback.

Bill vs. Ted

The Radar • 59 implied HN points • 03 Apr 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. In promotion processes, advocacy, arbitrariness, and detachment can influence outcomes, sometimes leading to the wrong candidate being chosen.
  2. The complexity and overbuilt nature of promotion processes can obscure the best candidate, favoring manipulation over merit.
  3. Balancing objectivity and fairness in promotions is crucial, as promoting the right people leads to positive organizational outcomes.

A Kick in the Teeth

The Radar • 59 implied HN points • 29 Mar 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Amazon shocked managers with a pay freeze despite record profits and successful quarters, damaging trust and morale.
  2. The pandemic revealed the dedication of Amazon managers, who now feel undervalued due to frozen pay based on share price fluctuations.
  3. Amazon's leadership actions risk eroding trust and confidence, raising questions about their motives, behaviors, and commitment to mutual benefit.

Continuing the Club for the Glue People

Lessons • 157 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. The Club for the Glue People is a community that brings joy and learning through experiments and discussions.
  2. Key topics discussed include alignment, org design, letting go, and culture.
  3. The community is launching its second cohort and an annual membership, inviting like-minded individuals to join.

8 Ways Organizational Culture Kills Agility

Ageling on Agile • 79 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Implementing Agile in an organization goes beyond just claiming to be Agile; it requires a cultural shift.
  2. Having a hierarchical structure, lack of learning culture, and siloed responsibilities can hinder an organization's agility.
  3. Organizations valuing output over outcome, prioritizing individual efficiency, and fostering HIPPO culture undermine Agile principles and hinder effectiveness.

How to Receive Feedback

Build To Scale • 59 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Candid feedback is valuable, seek it out even when it's not all positive.
  2. Receiving feedback graciously and learning from it is crucial for personal and professional growth.
  3. Actively seek honest feedback from trusted sources, listen without immediately reacting, and work on areas for improvement over time.

Ivory towers jeopardize value creation

Ageling on Agile • 59 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Ivory towers in organizations can create conflict and hinder collaboration between teams with different objectives.
  2. To foster value creation, it's essential for individuals in leadership positions to step down from ivory towers and actively collaborate with all stakeholders.
  3. Blocking the learning loop by maintaining ivory towers can lead to wasted time, effort, and money, hindering the organization's ability to adapt in a fast-changing world.

The Power of Skunkworks Projects (a conversation with ChatGPT)

An Innovator's Sketchbook • 98 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Large companies must grow through expanding market penetration or entering new markets, either by inventing new products or acquiring other companies.
  2. Challenges of creating successful new products in large companies include bureaucracy, risk aversion, resource competition, resistance to change, and short-term focus.
  3. Skunkworks projects are effective for innovation in large companies, requiring careful planning, autonomy, cross-functional teams, open communication, agile processes, and customer-centricity.

How Process Impacts Your Culture

Ways of Working • 98 implied HN points • 19 Jul 23
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Our personal relationship with process can impact how we work and interact with others, showing our organizational culture.
  2. Processes are applied in organizations in areas like people processes, team-level processes, company-level processes, and customer processes.
  3. Processes in organizations aim to facilitate work, reduce risk, ensure consistency, but can also hinder creative thinking if taken too far.

People > Principles > Process > Product

Fish Food for Thought • 47 implied HN points • 23 Jul 25
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. You should focus on people first, then principles, processes, and finally the product. People are the foundation of any successful team.
  2. Establish clear principles to guide your team's decisions. This helps everyone stay aligned and work effectively toward common goals.
  3. Once the team and principles are in place, develop processes that create structure and support. This prepares you to finally focus on improving the product itself.

Straight Talk

The Radar • 39 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Dishonesty has become the norm in today's world, so being honest can help you stand out as a leader and build stronger relationships.
  2. Different types of misleading tactics like withholding information, spin, doublespeak, manipulation, and tactical deniability are commonly used in organizations.
  3. Practicing transparency, providing rationale for decisions, and communicating honestly can lead to increased trust within teams and ultimately improve overall performance.

Why your manager sucks [Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 99 implied HN points • 12 Nov 22
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. The Dilbert Principle explains how incompetent employees may be promoted to management to get them out of the way.
  2. The Invisible Man Principle highlights how mediocre employees may end up in important projects when all the top performers are busy with other tasks.
  3. The Peter Principle shows that competent workers may be promoted until they reach a role where they struggle, impacting their career progression.

Agile transformations to make stakeholders "happy" reduces trust

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Balancing different forces in organizational culture is crucial for success, as there is never a perfect stillness.
  2. Pursuing agile transformations solely to please stakeholders can lead to a reduction in trust within the organization.
  3. It is important to be mindful of conflicting incentives and motives when shaping the culture of an organization.

systems *doing* and complexity *doing*

The Beautiful Mess • 79 implied HN points • 14 Nov 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Bringing different people together in a fun way can help create new connections and ideas. It's important for everyone to share their unique perspectives.
  2. Sometimes it's better to wait and see what happens instead of jumping into action right away. This allows space for good ideas to emerge naturally.
  3. You can simplify complex issues to help understand them, but always remember to keep the messy details nearby so you don't lose important context.

Measuring the Productivity of Developers

burkhardstubert • 39 implied HN points • 04 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Organizational Culture
  1. McKinsey suggests measuring developer productivity using new metrics that track time spent on development versus other tasks. This way, they want to see more time in real coding and less in meetings.
  2. Orosz and Beck argue that measuring effort or output isn't very useful because people might manipulate those numbers. Instead, they say to focus on the actual effects of the work, like the value that reaches customers.
  3. Team performance is more important than individual effort. It's better to measure how well a team works together than to judge each person separately.

Don't Squeeze the Brain

The Radar • 39 implied HN points • 17 Sep 23
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Innovation thrives when the right conditions are set, not randomly. Building expertise through deep understanding is crucial for groundbreaking ideas.
  2. Leaders should model an innovative spirit by encouraging curiosity, asking questions, and creating a culture that champions creativity.
  3. Allowing idle time for reflection and rumination can lead to innovation. Overworking without breaks stifles creativity and hinders ingenuity.

Apple and AI: Yet Another Example of Conway’s Law

Gad’s Newsletter • 17 implied HN points • 04 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Organizational Culture
  1. Apple's internal structure has led to problems in its AI development. The secretive and product-focused culture has made it hard for teams to communicate and work together effectively.
  2. Apple's AI efforts are hindered by its strict focus on hardware, limiting the power and capabilities of its AI models. This means they often can't compete with more powerful AI from other companies.
  3. To improve in AI, Apple may need to change its ways by being more open and collaborative. This could help bring together its research and product teams, leading to better AI outcomes.

The Narcissistic Leader

Fish Food for Thought • 14 implied HN points • 13 Aug 25
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Real leadership isn't about one person's brilliance, but how well a team works together. A good leader empowers others to shine.
  2. Narcissistic leaders can achieve short-term success but often hurt the team's culture and morale. They may overlook the contributions of others.
  3. Great leaders focus on building systems and teams for long-term success, not just on being the center of attention. They help others grow and lead.

Reforming the DEI Reforms

Journal of Free Black Thought • 38 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Organizational Culture
  1. MEI stands for Merit, Economics, and Ingenuity, which aims to improve the hiring process by focusing on qualifications instead of identity. This approach encourages selecting candidates based on talent and capability.
  2. The original DEI framework emphasized diversity and inclusion but often led to perceived fairness issues and political agendas. MEI seeks to replace DEI with a more straightforward focus on meritocratic principles.
  3. Incorporating concepts like Economics and Ingenuity in MEI means prioritizing economically sound decisions and encouraging creativity in organizations. This could help recruit individuals who bring unique skills and perspectives.

Keep the Lights On

The Radar • 19 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture
  1. Leadership as guardianship of a positive value system is essential to create a positive work environment.
  2. Negativity in organizations has detrimental effects on productivity and employee commitment.
  3. Maintaining a strong alignment between organizational values and interests leads to success and positive work culture.