21st century business has evolved from believing “people are an asset” to understanding that it is how people work together that creates value. We wanted to find out what might be stopping leaders from seeing the importance of culture. And uncover common stories across the world where leaders have found ways to grow a culture - that grows a business.

1. Within People
How culture helps you grow
A global leadership conversation

2. 2
21st century business has evolved from believing “people are an
asset” to understanding that it is how people work together
that creates value.
We wanted to find out what might be stopping leaders from
seeing the importance of culture.
And uncover common stories across the world where leaders
have found ways to grow a culture - that grows a business.

3. 3
A global conversation about culture
Within People believes there is a direct connection between the culture of an organisation and growth.
Our own purpose-led culture has been essential to scaling our partnership - now in our fourth year, we
have expanded across South Africa, Europe and North America.
We wanted to start a conversation with our clients and the wider global business community to uncover
how leaders use clarity, belief and confidence to build their business. These three areas are essential to
our practice:
• Clarity on your purpose, values and who you are as a distinct culture
• Belief in how to live your values and create the business you want
• Confidence to use culture to grow while tackling any perceived barriers to growth
As coaches we believe we have a role to play to listen deeply to leaders and support their journey. What
follows is not a research report - but an insight to how we see 21st century businesses being built.
This is what we heard.

4. 4
Who we spoke to:
We engaged 56 senior leaders interested in
how culture drives growth in businesses of
different sizes and sectors in South Africa,
North America, Europe and Asia.
Seniority
18 CEOs
18 Senior HR professionals
20 Directors / senior department heads
Sectors:
Finance 37% Retail 13%
Property 13% Services 33%
Non-Profit 4%
What we heard:
This report covers the themes that emerged:
Clarity: Leaders are consistent in their
understanding of the meaning of culture
Barriers: There are common misconceptions that
stop leaders around the world from seeing culture
as an asset
Belief: We heard seven learnings from leaders
who are successfully believing that culture drives
growth
Confidence: There is a journey to successfully
using culture to grow your business

5. Clarity
What is culture?
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6. 6
What we heard consistently from leaders in each of our markets:
Culture is “the way we do things”
It’s about:
Behaviour
What we share
How things feel
The energy of the workplace
The emotional connection we make

7. Culture is built on a
foundation of why your
business exists, and
how you operate.
Your “why” lives in your purpose. It can also
relate to your mission and vision.
“How” you operate lives in your values and
principles to create your unique way of being.
• 75% of the leaders we spoke to have defined
purpose and values in their organisation
• 20% do not have a defined purpose or values
• 5% have defined their purpose and values but
are not actively using them to engage their
culture
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8. 8
What we also heard from leaders:
Culture is valuable in driving growth

9. We noticed leaders had
different motivations which
shaped how they viewed
culture.
And that leaders are becoming
more explicit about purpose-
driven leadership and cultures.
Intuition: Anchored in purpose
Value of culture: Leadership, purpose, courage
Inspiration: Seen it work
Value of culture: Alignment, belonging, trust
Logic: Organisations are groups of people
Value of culture: efficiency, differentiation,
scalability
‘Culture stems from your moral compass,
your values, your approach to life.’
Head of Sustainability - Property Development (Hong Kong)
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10. Barriers
What stops leaders
from connecting
culture to growth?
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Myth:
Culture is just about
having a fun place to work
Culture is how we enjoy ourselves at work
and not what makes us successful.
It’s about bean bags, ping pong tables and
flexi-time. People stay when everyone is
nice.
Source of the myth:
This myth comes from a perception that joy
in the work place comes only from the
environment - not from the work itself.

12. 12
Myth:
Culture can’t be
measured
Culture is soft and fluffy and doesn’t
deliver tangible results.
It’s an HR thing. It is unrelated to
financial performance and measurable
outcomes. And since it can’t be
measured, it can’t be managed.
Source of the myth:
This myth comes from a perception that if
culture is hard to measure it can’t have
impact on performance.

13. 13
Myth:
Culture is used to make
people work harder
The value of building a strong culture
is in people going the extra mile, being
willing to work longer and harder to
deliver.
If we work harder we’ll do better than
the competition.
Source of the myth:
This myth comes from a feeling that being
busy means we are productive and growing.

14. 14
Myth:
Culture shouldn’t be
captured
If culture is written down it loses the
richness and magic.
Culture is more valuable if it’s mysterious
and hard to explain. Putting it into words
means other people can copy it.
Source of the myth:
This myth comes from a perception that
complexity is valuable. And a fear that if the
culture is clear we will have to hold ourselves
accountable to it.

15. 15
In our work coaching leaders we see a
consistent barrier to culture driving growth:
Fear
… of losing the business
… of trusting intuition
… of loss
… of irrelevance
… of losing control and power
… of accountability
… of losing value
… of dealing with people that aren’t a culture fit
… having the hard conversations

16. Belief
How do you use
culture for growth?
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17. 17
Our conversations
uncovered seven
learnings from
leaders who have
successfully used
culture to grow
Culture starts with authentic leaders
Leaders bring people together to find
what is common in the culture
Personal stories build understanding
and meaning
Connection comes through
experiences
Strong cultures ask for commitment
Culture aligns to a vision of success
The work is never done
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7

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Learning #1
Authenticity
‘Leadership is about being, not doing. You have to
consistently embody the culture you are trying to build.
Never expect people to become something you are not.’
Partner - Services (USA)

19. Culture starts with
authentic leaders
Leaders define their culture through their
behaviours. And leaders can only really embody
culture if they personally buy into the value of it and
it is aligned to their personal values & beliefs.
“Respect” is a common value in many of the businesses
we spoke to. Leaders who show up to this authentically
can talk to small behaviours that are natural for them,
but are consciously lived: greeting people in the lift,
sticking to the parking policy even when inconvenient,
and not looking at their phones during conversations.
Personal alignment with the company’s values
means leaders can show up to them naturally and
transparently.
Learning #1
Authenticity
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20. 20
'We are in a context of economic inequalities,
discrimination, and this can bring a negative culture into
the organisation. We are very conscious of this from the
start. We focus on values & culture and not skills when we
recruit. We ask questions about their vision in life and the
perfect company for them. '
CEO - Communications Agency (Philippines)
Learning #2
Cohesion

21. Leaders bring people
together to find what is
common in the culture
Clarifying purpose and values as a collective
process creates shared ownership and
accountability. Teams can build cohesion around
shared beliefs and motivations for the work they
are doing and the people they are serving.
Teams that come together to define their company
culture are able to see beyond what is different about
themselves as individuals and across functions to
reveal what connects them as a group. Connecting as
individuals creates a sense of belonging and builds
better performing cross-functional teams.
Investing the time to co-create culture builds
ownership and belonging.
Learning #2
Cohesion
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‘You can never write down what a culture means in every
situation. It must be internalised as that's the only way
people can live it. If you lock it down, you're asking people to
regurgitate it, rather than own it and love it.’
CEO - International Development Charity (UK)
Learning #3
Meaning

23. Personal stories build
understanding and
meaning
Giving people the opportunity to interpret the
company’s purpose and values, and what it
means for them, helps them to understand what
is personally relevant about the culture.
Organisations with significant cultural diversity
create spaces for people to talk to what the
company culture means to them and why it is
inspiring. They build a foundation of understanding
by allowing each person to share their personal life
stories, even building skills for listening and having
difficult conversations.
Values are a powerful tool to build awareness in
diverse environments.
Learning #3
Meaning
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Learning #4
Connection
‘It’s essential to find time to have the shared experiences
that ultimately shape your culture. In their first week, we had
new members of the team join everyone else in going
through the boot camp we offer our entrepreneurs.’
Program Director - Venture Capital (USA)

25. Connection comes
through experiences
Experiences help people connect emotionally with
culture and gain a much deeper and more
memorable understanding. Creating rituals, regular
off-sites, or recognition initiatives that are shaped
around your purpose and values help keep them
alive.
Businesses that become focussed on ‘what’ they do
and have lost connection with ‘why’ use experiences to
re-connect. This includes getting employees to
experience the product they produce through the eyes
of their customer, and then share how what they do
every day impacts on the lives of the people they serve.
Creating deliberate ways for people to experience
your culture builds depth of understanding.
Learning #4
Connection
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‘Our CEO was harsh with the top level. Senior leadership
needed to leave if they didn’t buy in.’
Divisional Director - Financial Services (South Africa)
Learning #5
Commitment

27. Strong cultures ask for
commitment
Getting people to define what your purpose and
values means to them is asking for commitment.
Leaders who have the difficult conversations
and deal with those that do not commit to living
the culture drive real change.
Accountability and commitment are particularly
important at the most senior levels of the
organisation. Often a divide can be created
between the senior levels and the rest of the
business, with visible privilege. Holding leaders
accountable reinforces who leaders serve.
When defining your values ensure that they are a
framework for accountability.
Learning #5
Commitment
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‘Every company has a culture. A culture can be managed and
changed. If as a leader you want to do something deliberate
in your organisation, you need to be specific about the
culture you need to arrive at your destination.’
Managing Director - Financial Services (South Africa)
Learning #6
Vision

29. Culture aligns to a vision
of success
Your culture needs to be inextricably linked to
the goal you want to achieve. This is a process of
getting clear on what drives performance in the
business, and how you create the value that
defines your success.
Businesses based on disruptive technologies need
to create the conditions for people to think
creatively fast. That might mean putting everyone
together so that they can communicate easily,
eliminate silos, see things that they otherwise miss
if the developers are in offices and only certain
people are on the factory floor.
Get clear on what you need to be great at to
succeed.
Learning #6
Vision
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30. 30
‘If you release the potential of all your people, thats how you
grow. You must be prepared to make huge investments in
this - to create the conditions that help people to grow the
business’
Senior Director - Health Care (UK)
Learning #7
Patience

31. The work is never done Living your culture is constant. There are no
exceptions when you can temporarily put aside
your culture to deal with a crisis or particular
situation. In fact these moments define the
opportunity to bring a culture to life and either
build or erode belief in your culture.
In moments of financial pressure, organisations
with an ‘innovation’ value use this behaviour to
guide how they might see an opportunity to be
creative, rather than immediately cutting costs or
firing people.
As the leader use every opportunity - including a
crisis - to point to how culture is a guide.
Learning #7
Patience
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32. Confidence
How do you take your
business on the
journey?
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33. 33
Clarity
Define your purpose, values and offer based on
the source of performance in your business and
on the value that you create.
Flags to look out for:
People reciting purpose and values, not internalising
and living them.
Practical first step:
Get your leadership team together to reflect on why
the business was created and define your purpose
statement. Explore Within’s “Guide to Finding
Purpose” for help!

34. 34
Belief
Start the journey of building belief and
embedding it in the business. Deepen the
meaning of your purpose and values with your
team.
Flags to look out for:
Increased complexity (detailed manuals and plans,
new visions, principles that are not aligned) rather
than more simplicity.
Practical first step:
Have teams explore each of your values and what
they mean to them personally. Make sure your
values are actionable behaviours that individuals
can live up to.

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Confidence
Understand real and perceived barriers and build
the leadership skills to overcome them
Flags to look out for:
Short term change, easily fizzling initiatives, and
people reverting to old ways rather than learning
and adapting.
Practical first step:
Look for places in the business where values are not
being lived - and how this is impacting on growth.
Explore with your team how living your values could
bring new opportunities for the business.

36. Visit us to find out more:
withinpeople.com
Within People is an international
partnership that helps people to
find their purpose and grow
This report was developed through conversations held in
2017 with senior business leaders in South Africa, UK,
France, USA, Canada, Hong Kong and Philippines. We
would like to extend our thanks to all that gave their time to
participate, and to Accelerate Cape Town for their support.