Virtual culture – it’s intentional (ep 7)

Is organisational culture wholly connected to physical buildings and experiences? Or can we sustain the things that are important – our purpose and values – virtually? Why are many managers so concerned that culture will be damaged if people don’t return to the office?

We consider what culture is (‘the way we do things around here’) and how it has been linked consciously to office locations in the past, and that now perhaps there’s a need to decouple that connection and intentionally think about how we can embed the important values within our virtual working practices and behaviors.

Clearly, culture isn’t forged in the same way when we aren’t together in the same place. As with many aspects of managing and working virtually, there is a need to think more deeply and to be more focused and deliberate about the way we reinforce and demonstrate the important aspects of culture.

Continuing our series of interviews with AWA’s global team, Celeste Tell, our Senior Associate in the Pacific Northwest talks about the “musical chairs” movement of people in and out of Seattle, as they find new places to live, now they can work remotely. She also reinforces the notion of addressing culture intentionally and embedding those intangible aspects into the virtual working environment.

Featured guests:

• Andrew Mawson, Founder and MD, AWA (UK)
• Lisa Whited, Senior Associate in Change Management, AWA (USA)
• Catherine Lamson, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, MEMIC
• Mel Parkes, Global Head of Workplace Transformation, BP (UK)
• Robin Shapiro, CEO, TBWA/WorldHealth (USA)
• Celeste Tell, Senior Associate in Workplace Transformation, AWA (USA)