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Building an organisational culture that aligns with values and drives performance is no small task. At the recent Lunch & Learn session led by Jayson Moran – a coaching psychologist with extensive experience working with professionals and entrepreneurs – the conversation revolved around what it means to create a culture that truly thrives. With thought-provoking questions, practical frameworks, and compelling anecdotes, Jayson guided attendees through the intricacies of culture creation—and why it’s foundational for individuals, teams and organisations.

Measuring Culture: What Do We Know?

The session began with interactive polls that immediately engaged participants and revealed some fascinating insights about how culture is perceived and assessed within organisations:

• Does your organisation actively measure its culture?
  While 45% of attendees reported their organisations use direct surveys and assessments, 31% rely on indirect tools like wellbeing or job satisfaction surveys. However, a significant portion either didn’t know (8%) or said culture wasn’t actively measured (16%).
• Is your organisation’s culture aligned with its stated values?
  Only 17% of participants strongly agreed that their workplace culture reflected organisational values. This raised questions about the disconnect between intention and practice.

Jayson linked these findings to a broader challenge: recognising where culture truly exists and understanding how it’s shaped by leaders, systems, and shared behaviours.

What Is Culture, and Where Does It Come From?

Jayson began with a deceptively simple question: What is culture? It’s a term that gets thrown around, but its essence lies in the unspoken assumptions that influence behaviours and decision-making. Culture isn’t just about perks or policies—it’s about shared beliefs. Culture is present in every organisation, whether by design or by default. It’s reflected in the small, everyday actions that define how things are done—even when no one is watching.

Jayson defined culture as “the way we do things around here,” emphasising that it emerges from an organisation’s successful adaptations to challenges. He drew on Edgar Schein’s Organisational Culture Model, breaking culture down into three levels:

• Artifacts: Visible and tangible aspects, like norms and procedures.
• Espoused Values: What an organisation claims to value, such as fairness or quality.
• Basic Assumptions: Deeply ingrained beliefs that drive behaviours, often unconsciously.

Using his experience at Dublin’s famed restaurant L’Gueuleton, Jayson illustrated these concepts. The restaurant’s culture—defined by its no-reservations policy, locked doors before opening, and a staff-first philosophy—was built on clear assumptions: reservations lead to inefficiency (i.e. lost revenue in the case of no-shows and cancellations), food must be perfect, and staff need protection to thrive under pressure. These practices not only solved operational challenges but created a unique, consistent customer experience.

Think about your favourite restaurant or coffee shop. What keeps you going back? Beyond the food or coffee, it’s the experience—the atmosphere, the values you sense, and how consistently they’re upheld. That’s culture in action.

What about your organisation? Do your daily practices reflect assumptions that align with your values?

Culture as Leadership in Action

Culture stems from leadership. Their actions and decisions set the tone for everyone else.

One of the session’s highlights was a Simon Sinek video that contrasted the leadership styles of two hotels: the Four Seasons and Caesars Palace. The story of a barista named Noah revealed how environments shaped by leadership profoundly impact employee engagement.

At the Four Seasons, Noah felt supported by managers who regularly asked what he needed to do his job better. At Caesars, he felt micromanaged, leading him to disengage. Jayson used this example to underscore a key takeaway: leaders’ assumptions about their roles—whether to support or control employees—directly influence team behaviour and customer experience.

A thriving culture isn’t built on mission statements or lofty ideals—it’s forged through consistent actions that bring those ideals to life. As a leader, you have the power to set that example, drive alignment, and create a workplace where people—and performance—flourish. By contrast, Jayson emphasised that when leaders fail to shape culture deliberately, it takes on a life of its own. Misaligned assumptions can become invisible barriers to productivity, engagement, and trust.

Ask yourself: How do your assumptions as a leader influence the energy and engagement of your teams? What are the unspoken assumptions driving your organisation’s culture? And what changes could you make today to lead by example?

Creating Culture: Principles and Practices

Building a strong culture starts with clarity. Jayson outlined three guiding principles:

1. Get Crystal Clear: Define values and expectations for both leaders and teams.
2. Listen First: Employees are more likely to engage when they feel heard.
3. Walk the Talk: Culture is shaped by consistent actions, not just words.

Jayson emphasised the importance of aligning culture with both organisational purpose and employee values. Tools like the VIA Strengths Finder can help define values, but organisations must also co-create culture with their teams to ensure buy-in. Techniques like the “Good Ship Exercise” help teams identify what drives progress, what holds them back, and how they engage with one another.

Research-Backed Insights: Culture in Dublin Restaurants

Drawing on his own research in Dublin’s restaurant industry, Jayson revealed how cultural factors impact performance. High-performing restaurants prioritised results orientation—getting the job done and done well—but often lacked positive work environments. The findings highlighted the tension between achieving results and supporting employee wellbeing, a balance Jayson argued is increasingly critical in post-pandemic workplaces.

Culture in Action: Collaboration Post-Covid

Jayson shared a case study of working with a government office to promote collaboration after a shift to hybrid working. Using participatory exercises, he helped employees reflect on their relationship to collaboration, define shared values, and identify practical steps for improvement. The process reinforced that culture is stronger when it’s co-created, not imposed.

Key Takeaways: What Do You Stand For?

Jayson ended the session by challenging participants to reflect on their own values and those of their organisations:

• What do you stand for?
• What does your culture say about your priorities?
• How does your leadership shape the environment for your teams?

Jayson also highlighted the importance of purpose in culture creation. Culture, he said, is the “how” to an organisation’s “why.” It doesn’t need to please everyone but must resonate with the right people—those who will carry the mission forward.

Jayson left participants with a clear roadmap to align culture with organizational goals:

1. Identify unspoken assumptions: What beliefs currently guide decisions and behaviors?
2. Evaluate alignment with values: Do these assumptions support or contradict the culture you want to create?
3. Take visible actions to close gaps: Culture shifts begin when leaders model the behaviors they want to see.

A thriving culture doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a continual process of alignment, action, and reflection.

Final Thoughts

Jayson Moran’s session was a powerful reminder that culture isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the backbone of an organisation’s identity, performance, and employee satisfaction. By aligning values with actions, fostering open dialogue, and embracing leadership’s pivotal role, organisations can create cultures that are not only effective but meaningful for everyone involved. Whether by creating new rituals, addressing unspoken assumptions, or simply listening more intentionally, leaders have the power to shape cultures where teams flourish.

The key takeaway? Leadership isn’t just about strategy—it’s about the culture you build through every decision you make.