Expedition: Company Culture Ernst Schipper

The first anthropologist in the show! And even better she is also a storyteller, content creator/producer and researcher of street culture. Carmen Hogg (of RealFakeShoes and Carmenpolitan) and I discuss what makes culture culture and land on our definition: culture are the stories you tell and are being told by your people. Next to that we talk about how to understand the culture you are investigating. Asking questions with an open mind and listen, listen, listen are secrets to success. We stress the importance of the visual aspect of how you showcase your culture. People want stories to believe in, not facts.

Diversity is key in building high performance cultures. Diversity helps you get more different perspectives and promises better output. So, how do you become more diverse as an organization? Carol Rock (journalist and diversity consultant) and I explore why so many companies are struggling with diversity & inclusion. She also shares her personal experiences regarding this topic during her career. We address why you sometimes are excluding people without wanting it and how a desire to become more diverse is not enough for change. It all starts with you and we share small things you can start doing today.

How do you consistently deliver on culture? You need engaging and genuine content. In this podcast Linda van Laar and I discuss how to produce content that supports your culture. We provide tips on how to run content projects, going beyond creating content with just the people you know and how you can produce content at scale.

Who owns your culture? Every single employee does! In this podcast Danielle van Alewijn (Director People & Culture at Swapfiets) and me talk about scaling culture and how to collaborate with employees to uncover values. Next to that we discuss the evolving role of HR from an administrative function to a supporter and enabler of culture. We’ll give you tips on uncovering your values and how to keep them actionable. Finally, we discuss how to add meaning to your values and create memorable moments with your employees.

Milanka Faasse (Global Learning & Development Manager at HMSHost) and I discuss insights and practical tips to introduce your company culture in everyday work. From setting aside 5 minutes everyday to discuss values to translating values into behavior, you’ll find everything in this podcast.

Many organizations put their values on the wall, send an email to all and believe they launched their culture successfully. As long as your employees and other stakeholders haven’t experienced your culture and have a change to co-own it, you didn’t do anything.

Wendy van Leeuwen (co-founder at Secret City Trails) and me explore how discovering a city relates to experiencing company culture. We see that experiencing culture through play is impactful and gives people a chance to truly understand what you are about. We also concluded that smaller, more detailed stories are better examples of your culture than big statements. If you provide employees with a meaningful framework, they can take a role in creating and sharing the stories of your organization.