I was recently presenting at a high tech sector human resources conference and was asked a great question that really got me thinking. The question was something like “Isn’t it the senior management’s responsibility to define the organizations culture?”

What a great question. The short answer is probably “Yes.” An organization’s senior team has a big influence of the organization’s culture. After all, they call the shots and model the behaviours that set the tone for the organization. Unfortunately, from my perspective at least, there is a problem with this. The senior team, more often than not, put in long hours, focus on little else but work, and some of them take themselves way too seriously!

Thankfully, there’s a longer answer to the question. While the senior team have an undeniably strong influence over an organization’s culture, there are others in the organization that can have a powerful influence.

Imagine a programmer who is a keen soccer player. She takes the time to organize a team to play in a local league. She’s contributing to a culture that values teamwork, exercise and competitiveness. Imagine an office manager who knows when everybody’s birthday is. He brings in a birthday card and gets as many people as possible to sign it. Maybe there are also muffins? He’s developing a sense of belonging within the organizational culture. Imagine the small team of volunteers who organize the organization’s United Way fund raising efforts. They’re contributing to the organization’s sense of community involvement and service.

So my final answer to the question looks a bit like this. Organizational culture can’t be mandated from the top. For sure, the people at the top of the organization have a powerful influence over the organizational culture and they must be careful how they use that influence. We also have to recognize that anyone who chooses to step up to the challenge can have a profound influence over culture no matter where they stand on the organizational hierarchy. This is one reason why I believe true leadership isn’t a position but a way of being.