“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” – Peter Drucker

I’ve noticed organizations are are taking a more intional approach to curating culture. In their quest for continuous re-invention, many seek to cultivate the “right” DNA.

So what’s the relationship between culture and innovation?
Is it possible to cultivate a culture of innovation, or does making “innovativeness” the norm actually stifle new ways of thinking?

Cultures that value respectful conflict and authentic conversation across hierarchical levels use this diversity of perspective as fodder for new thinking and insights. This is an advantage many start-ups have over larger organizations.

When the predominant culture values politeness over authenticity, it may preserve the velocity and volume of flow in a direction, but the organization may also lose the impetus to reflect on whether direction is worthwhile in the first place.