“Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast.” The data tells us time and again that it’s true—so why isn’t culture a core part of business strategy yet?
Culture is the ecosystem in which your business strategy—and brand—thrives or fails. But so many organizations struggle not only to align culture and brand, but to make that alignment integral to their long-term plan.
Simply put, culture is how things get done in an organization. It’s a shared set of values and beliefs about our approach to work that shapes behaviors. Whether you prioritize it or not, your company has a culture. Senior leaders create it, either intentionally or by default. Traditionally seen as a “soft” concept—a feel-good, intangible part of the business often relegated to HR—culture has too often evolved without clear direction. But culture is too critical to revenue for businesses to leave it up to chance. If your brand is in arrested development, or your team is not seeing that needle move in the right direction, your executive team needs to ask: are we treating culture as a vital, manageable asset?
If your answer is no, then you know where to start: intentionally building and nurturing a culture designed for growth.
If that’s the starting place, what’s the next? The work of implementing and change managing a culture strategy can be overwhelming if you don’t have the data or infrastructure to guide you. That’s why we recommend that our clients start with getting to know more about your people with deep, authentic insights.
Understand How Your Organization’s Brand and Culture Work Together
We conducted a comprehensive study here at Blupact Strategy Group called, The Fabric of Growth: Building Trust into Business Strategy, to understand where employees are already at when it comes to the role of culture in growing a brand. Covering 2,000 participants, we explored perceptions of culture, trust, and authenticity, and how these elements intersect within organizations both internally and externally.
The findings were decisive: an overwhelming 93% of respondents believed employees and customers should be regarded as equally important stakeholders in a brand’s success, underscoring that culture extends beyond the workplace.
Additionally, 68% of participants expressed a desire for a work culture different from their current or past experiences—highlighting that a majority of organizations may be overlooking a key measure for their long-term success.
When asked about their ideal culture, respondents emphasized the importance of a well-defined and intentionally nurtured environment as essential for any business strategy’s success.
“Trust and accountability to staff members from senior management, as well as sticking to promises made to employees, are crucial.”
Culture directly impacts how employees, customers, and stakeholders experience your organization and brand. That means it should be planned, developed, and managed like any other key business asset. Get a baseline of where your culture stands now in tandem with a gauge on your brand perception and experience. By examining your culture and brand together, you’ll be able to make powerful connections that narrow your focus to what will have the greater impact. With the precision that comes with insight-driven strategy, you’ll be able to define, build, and maintain a culture that aligns with your brand. That combination is transformational for your business.
As we begin planning for 2025 initiatives, consider creating a culture strategy as part of your strategic plan – it’s the investment that pays dividends for decades.
Contact Us: Reach out to the Blupact team to enhance your brand culture.
