At some point, a brand culture that is serious about what it intends must put those intentions in writing. That’s about a lot more than documentation. Articulating what you come to work for collectively amounts to a stated commitment. So many companies squander this opportunity. They market what is happening internally rather than explaining it. Or they expand on what it means for the company rather than how it benefits the individual. Sometimes, they paint a process and not a picture in communicating a purposeful culture.
The power of articulation
Articulation should be the culmination of a journey that has taken people through a range of steps and emotions: from why change is needed and the opportunity that change could generate to the information that explains how decisions were reached and the incentives to push through reluctance.
The final stage of our Culture to Thrive is Articulation – weaving the background, actions and proof of cultural change into a holistic and involving narrative, operating at a number of levels, that people can carry with them. Articulation brings talkability and relatability to executive decisions. It presents the strategy in the context of intentions and principles, and encourages conversation and involvement.
Enabling culture to unfold
Every day, people across cultures are asked to take actions or pay attention to so many things. They’re quickly overwhelmed because the things they are asked to do or think about are often not prioritised, nor are they linked to what has happened before.
The best brand cultures unfold – they reveal what they are doing and what it will mean in ways that connect what people knew with what they are currently being told and what they expect to hear about in the future. This is about managing the flow of information so that people know what they need to know, in a format that they can handle, given everything else in their day.
Reviving internal storytelling
Storytelling is becoming a lost skill culturally. The art of the internal narrative has been replaced by the simplicity and autocracy of the top-down declaration. Each message of each declaration is carefully thought about and wordsmith-ed to within an inch of its life – but the connections between the bigger ideas, and the opportunities to involve people, are often missed. A brand culture, if it is to be successful, is not nurtured by its policies – but rather by the principles and stories that drive it at a human level.
A call to community
Articulation has two objectives. The first is internal.
We love this explanation of storytelling from Christopher Maier, “Every time I tell a story, I am putting out a call to community. A story presumes a community of listeners who will recognize some experience that they have lived or can imagine living in the narrative. It is a call and response …” because it frames the articulation and the response to that declaration together. You receive what you get a response to.
Articulation is not broadcast in this context. It’s verification of decisions made. It’s the check-in with the culture that the business is good to go on this, and that for those who are not on board perhaps it’s time to leave. But as Shawn Callahan observes in this post, don’t call this a “story” because in many cultures, people will interpret that as fiction. Instead Callahan suggests declare the relevance of your intentions. And follow that up quickly with the plausibility of such a view.
First up: Stories as journeys
Connecting narratives, so that what people have heard previously directly aligns with what they are hearing now, provides context and continuity. It enables people to see a release, development, idea, even a scandal, in a setting beyond the immediate reaction. Examples of details to include in scene-setting are:
- Playback – a brief history of what has happened to get us to this point
- The biggest goal – what the brand and culture have consistently strove to achieve
- Time frame – what else was happening for the brand and the culture during this time
- Disruptions – unusual developments that influenced past thinking and/or guided current decision making
- Specifics – particular examples to show what was at stake
- Driving emotions – how people within the culture have felt and how/when that may have changed
- Actions taken – what has happened previously, and how that aligns with what leaders said they would do
- Triumphs and tragedies – what has happened to give the culture confidence and anything that has happened that the culture has learned from
- Future direction – where this is taking us, and how it will progress goals
Of course, you don’t have to include all of these. But you should try to thread the elements you do include into a storyline that articulates your intentions clearly and generously.
Ways to do this:
- Keynote address at annual conference or brand launch event
- Initial “big picture” launch communications
- Video
- Brand book/manifesto
Second up: Actions as storylines
When it comes to revealing what’s next within a culture, each major action should also have its own story, and each story should have its own momentum. In the words of Gaping Void, it needs a framework not dissimilar to hurricane warnings:
- Something could be happening (Remember, we said …)
- Pay attention, this matters
- Be prepared. This is serious
- OK, it’s on. Act now
The goal is to take people on a journey of involvement that starts with getting the story on their radar and then, through repetition and introducing more substantiation, increasing their awareness and their agency.
It’s more than a memo or an individual email. It’s a sequenced story that people recognise and track because they know it is in their best interests to do so. And when the sequence is used consistently and judiciously, it becomes something people are familiar with and know how to react to.
Ways to do this:
- Email campaigns
- Team briefings
- Internal social media (e.g. Slack)
- Intranet
Follow up: Proof through stories
Having inspired people about what is possible, and given them specific actions to take, it’s critically important to share progress and learnings. Involving people in what happened afterwards is a valuable opportunity, often missed. Instead, the culture hears back how something went by accident: gossip; or a confidential aside.
This, of course, is in direct contrast to the open manner in which the idea was first launched, and naturally leads people to question the effectiveness of what was done and/or how much they should personally invest in what they are asked to do next.
Ways to do this:
Proof stories within a culture should take three forms. Each has different aims.
- Formal reporting – intended for leaders – puts what happened in the context of wider performance.
- Inspiring case studies – provide both an update and key learnings for the teams involved. They enable the work of individuals and groups to act as exemplars for the wider culture. They point to challenges faced and solved. They prove relevance and value.
- Headline anecdotes are, as Shawn Callahan describes them, the little stories that people share and relate to because they are snackable, social, momentary and fun. Stats, quotes, examples, graphics. Their attraction lies in the fact they are immediate, positive and quotable.
Don’t stop there. Go public.
The second objective for effective articulation is to send a powerful and committed public signal. For your culture, that acts as an external endorsement of what they are hearing at work. It raises the cultural flag in the world.
Articulating your intentions around where and how you want to see change in the world puts your culture on notice that your purpose is an open agenda not a closed one. It brings your customers onboard. This aligns what you’re saying internally with your public position. It gives you talking points. Arguably, it should drive your editorial approach to content.
Speaking to why brand cultures should publicly articulate their purpose, for example, Hilton Barbour observes, “Brand purpose becomes a pivotal touchstone for customers and employees giving them a reason to say “this is why I choose this brand” and “this is why I choose to work here”. Purpose is why consumers will find a way to bring your brand into their lives. It’s certainly a deeper motivator than the functional, or even emotional, benefits we tend to cajole them with … Ultimately, today’s proliferation of me-too brands and fickle customers affords no marketing and brand leader the luxury of being without purpose.”
Articulating clearly as a culture
Articulation is an opportunity for your brand culture to communicate clearly and intently. Doing so not only helps people understand the principles that guide you, it also enables you to weave powerful storytelling into your relationships internally. People feel encouraged to use a range of storytelling formats to keep those around them involved and updated. By being articulate, and using language within your storytelling, that your people know and have ownership of, you can change the communication climate for the better.
How we can help you articulate effectively
Culture to Thrive is our strategically focused approach to big picture brand culture change for leaders wanting to align their people, strategy and core principles. You can read more about the range of brand culture services we offer here.
Culture To Thrive helps you find and define what you are striving for as a business. It helps you shape the culture you specifically need as a brand and to share your successes and challenges. Together, we’ll build out why you should be one type of culture rather than another. We’ll also work through what you intend to accomplish and how every person can contribute to that.
Please contact us if you’re ready to get people talking openly and clearly about and within your culture.
Acknowledgements
Photo by Lennart Nacke on Unsplash
Graphics designed by Fuller Studio.
Further reading
Agitation: Step 1 in building a purposeful culture
Inspiration: Step 2 in activating purposeful culture
Exploration: Step 3 in building purposeful culture
Motivation: Step 4 in activating a purposeful culture