culture

I love the idea that culture isn’t something we create but that it is a by-product of consistent behaviour. In their book Rework, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson claim that culture is action, not words.

It reminded me of an article by Chris Argyris I read several years ago. He argues that our ‘espoused theories’, the worldview we believe our behaviour is based on, are often different to our ‘theories-in-use’ - the worldview and values implied by our behaviour.  Furthermore, Argyris claims that we are often unaware of these ‘theories-in-use’ (the mental models we use to take action); therefore, change is not easily implemented on a personal level. 

Simulations allow us to create scenarios that help uncover these ‘theories-in-use’. They require participants to respond to plausible future situations or risk events. They need to evaluate difficult options, consider trade-offs, and choose a way forward. By doing so, these scenarios bring people’s ‘theories-in-use’ to the forefront. It allows us to create awareness, discussion and debate about the kind of culture we’re creating. The key benefit of the simulation methodology is that all of this happens on a personal level, with peers, and in a risk-free environment.