“Culture being a pursuit of our total perfection by means of getting to know, on all the matters which most concern us, the best which has been thought and said in the world.” - Matthew Arnold, Culture and Anarchy “As common as spitting in the grate”
Castlin: "culture is often perceived to be under the company’s control; it is about us, not them." What I've experienced within orgs, many times, is someone in a group - and it can be any group from the exec team, to a middle management leadership team, to an actual team - stating that "the culture" of the org is something outside of the speaker. The speaker is not responsible for the heinous acts of "the culture", and so bears no personal responsibility for taking action (although nebulous others do - usually people who aren't in the room at the time). It is also implied that the speaker should be lauded for their wisdom in pointing out this fundamental truth.
Castlin: "culture is often perceived to be under the company’s control; it is about us, not them." What I've experienced within orgs, many times, is someone in a group - and it can be any group from the exec team, to a middle management leadership team, to an actual team - stating that "the culture" of the org is something outside of the speaker. The speaker is not responsible for the heinous acts of "the culture", and so bears no personal responsibility for taking action (although nebulous others do - usually people who aren't in the room at the time). It is also implied that the speaker should be lauded for their wisdom in pointing out this fundamental truth.
Drives me nuts.