“What’s Your Culture Like?” | Understanding Workplace Culture

Feb 13

4 min read

Looking at organizational culture through two lenses.

This question arises frequently in various professional settings. Job applicants ask recruiters to gauge the environment they may be joining. Professionals at networking events pose it as a natural follow-up to statements like, "I really love where I work." Executives discussing organizational improvements often seek insights from their peers using this very question. While this question may be commonly asked, the responses to it can vary significantly.

These responses differ because employees do not always grasp the full scope or breadth of their organization’s culture. Many fail to connect their company’s core values to the lived experience of its culture. Some employees strongly align with their company’s mission and are willing to endure cultural challenges because of that commitment. In all cases, responses are shaped by immediate surroundings—colleagues and the way they create, collaborate, and innovate together.

One of the most common responses is, “Our culture is great! Everyone is friendly, and we have lots of perks.” While such a response may indicate a positive work environment, it barely scratches the surface of what defines workplace culture.

So, What Is Culture?

Though every organization will define its culture in its own way, it is important to align with the real components of what culture truly is. In some cases, the term is used so broadly that it risks becoming a catch-all for everything that occurs within a company, or even a mechanism to cover-up breakdowns in the company's operating structure. While there are many opinions on what defines a company's specific culture, at its core, "culture" is fundamentally human. And, because culture is fundamentally human, its complexity grows as organizations scale. That makes it hard for some to define.

To that end, culture is often—mistakenly—equated with tangible benefits like free snacks, game rooms, and flexible work schedules. It’s the stuff employees really like, yet, while these perks can enhance the employee experience, they do not define workplace culture. True culture reveals itself in the moments that matter, especially when challenges arise. It is embedded in the way decisions are made, conflicts are handled, and feedback is shared. It determines who receives recognition and what behaviors are encouraged and rewarded.

Rather than being dictated solely by leadership, culture emerges from the collective experiences and actions of employees at every level. A company’s stated mission and values set the foundation, but culture is ultimately determined by what happens in day-to-day interactions.

Understanding workplace culture requires looking beyond surface-level perks and examining the deeper elements that shape an employee’s experience. This is where the concept of an employee’s immediate cultural environment comes into focus - shedding light on how individuals experience and contribute to culture at their own micro level.

Macro vs. Micro Culture: How Employees Experience Organizational Culture Differently

While an organization may define its values and mission at a high level, the way employees experience culture varies significantly depending on their specific environment. To truly understand workplace culture, it is essential to consider two key lenses: the macro and the micro.

The macro lens captures the big-picture culture—the company’s mission, values, leadership practices, and structural frameworks that set the tone for the entire organization. This overarching culture provides the guiding principles for how work should be done, how decisions are made, and how employees are expected to collaborate and contribute.

The micro lens focuses on the individual’s experience within the culture—how employees interpret and interact with the larger framework in their day-to-day roles. This includes their relationships with colleagues and managers, their ability to navigate processes and resources, and their own personal investment in the company’s success.

For example, one team might feel empowered and collaborative, while another department within the same organization may struggle with micromanagement or unclear expectations. These variations help explain why some employees report a thriving culture, while others, even within the same company, feel disengaged.

Because culture is experienced at both macro and micro levels, improving workplace culture requires more than broad, company-wide initiatives. It requires an understanding of how employees interpret and contribute to culture through their daily experiences.

Data and analytics play a crucial role in defining what culture truly looks like within an organization, ensuring that any efforts to enhance it are rooted in facts rather than assumptions. Measuring both the macro-level structural culture and the micro-level employee experience helps organizations build a clearer, more actionable picture of how their culture operates in practice.

Defining Your Workplace Culture: Key Takeaways

The question that started this discussion now takes on a different meaning. Workplace culture is more than perks, more than friendly colleagues, and more than a company’s stated mission. It is shaped by both the macro-level framework that defines company culture and the micro-level experiences of individual employees.

Organizations that actively assess their culture through both lenses—understanding structural influences while also considering personal experiences—gain a clearer, more actionable understanding of their workplace environment. When leaders and employees alike take responsibility for shaping culture through daily actions, the result is a workplace that is intentional, evolving, and deeply human.

So now, with a more informed perspective, how would you describe your workplace culture?

Thanks for reading. Follow me on LinkedIn for more content on defining culture and the employee experience.

Posted: 13 February 2025

Written for HR Soul Consulting and published at Articles | HR Soul.