On company values (culture eats strategy for breakfast)

Peter Drucker said that "Culture eats strategy for breakfast".

What did he mean, and why?

The quote refers to the evidence that company culture plays a critical role in turning (a successful) strategy into reality. We can say in other words that culture is the foundation upon which successful execution (of a business) is built.

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Company culture

And what is company culture?

Company culture can be thought of as the personality of an organization. It's the sum of all the unspoken rules, values, attitudes, and behaviors that employees exhibit and that shape how things get done.

Key aspects that contribute to defining company culture are:

• Values: the core beliefs that guide decision-making and behavior within the company
• Behaviors:  how employees actually behave on a day-to-day basis. Are they encouraged to take risks? Do they collaborate openly? Is there a focus on work-life balance? Remember that values drive behaviors.
• Practices and Policies:  formal policies and practices  of a company can also shape the culture.  For instance,  a company with a generous parental leave policy is likely to be seen as more family-friendly.

Culture evolves over time (think about who's rewarded and promoted for example, and who's not), it is evident in the everyday interactions of employees, and it is not perks.

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Values and the importance of culture

Culture is the way things are done in a company. And culture is shaped by values.

Values are incredibly important for a company as they lay the groundwork for a strong foundation for growth, and they provide direction on how to do things properly. we can say that values are like the DNA of a company, defining its its core identity and setting the stage for future growth and success.

=> Foundation for Growth

• Shared Purpose and Alignment:  in the early stages, a startup is like a small boat. Without a clear direction (thinks of values as a compass), founders and early employees could easily be pulled in different directions. But values create a shared sense of purpose, ensuring everyone is rowing towards the same north star, in the same way. This alignment is crucial for early decision-making to achieve initial goals.
• Attracting the Right Talent:  having a clear idea of what the company stands for is like having a distinctive flag. It helps attract people who resonate with those values and are more likely to be a good fit for the team. This is especially important for startups who may not be able to compete with larger companies on career opportunities (or salary) alone.

=> Shaping the Culture

• Guiding Behavior: company values act as a set of guiding principles that influence how employees interact with each other, customers, and partners. Behaviors set the tone for the company culture to be formed and grow, driving employee actions and morale.
• Building Trust: when values are  translated into everyday actions, they foster trust both within the team and externally with stakeholders. This trust is essential for building strong relationships and navigating challenges.

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Defining our values

The typical roadmap to craft great foundational values for a startup goes through internal reflection by the founder (me and myself) and his/her past (good and bad) experience, as well as team input. Good values are authentic, focus on actions, touch every aspect of the company - from hiring to customer service to product development - and must be lived by every day.

We have defined 7 key values here at Pantar.ai:

=>We are explorers - open, curious, courageous and inquisitive. We always strive to investigate and discover.

=> We love simplicity, clarity & transparency in every interaction with both clients and colleagues

=> We collaborate and act with kindness. Everyone is a hero here: feel free to be yourself.

=> We run experiments to gather data & insights, and then make decisions

=> We are free and responsible adults, striving to build great things and making every day count.

=>We see change and ambiguity as great opportunities to build wildly better things, learn and grow

=> We are non-conformists who love to deliver little moments of moments of magic and delight

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We will go through each one of them in the upcoming posts. Meanwhile you can find here our public manifesto.