How to Build an Effective Team by Starting with Your Organization’s Culture
Many organizations have a mission and values statement, but their culture stops there. What’s missing is a lack of understanding of how those values translate into behaviors in the workplace. You can hire the most talented people in the world, but if they don’t share the same understanding of how to work together, you won’t get the results you want.
Culture isn’t just a poster titled “Our Values” with a list of inspirational words. Culture is the beliefs shared by a group of people that influence behavior. And those beliefs are only useful if they translate into clear, visible actions.
Why Culture Matters, Especially in Multicultural Teams
In multicultural environments, team members bring their own assumptions about what “good work” looks like. This can lead to friction even when everyone’s intentions are positive.
Even in teams with a shared national or industry culture, individuals interpret values differently. Without a shared understanding of behaviors, you end up with:
Different standards for communication
Conflicting priorities
Disagreement about “what success looks like”
Defining Culture in Action
Drawing on Erin Meyer’s work in The Culture Map, culture isn’t just about what we value; it’s about how those values show up in day-to-day work.
For example:
A team may value “innovation” - but does that mean trying lots of new things quickly, or perfecting ideas before launch?
A team may value “respect” - but does that mean open debate, or avoiding direct disagreement?
One person may think that they are interpreting the values accurately through their behaviors, but another could see those behaviors and disagree.
Steps to Build an Effective Team Culture
Clarify the Core Beliefs – What does the organization stand for?
Translate Beliefs into Behaviors – Define what those beliefs look like in action.
Create Alignment – Discuss expectations openly to avoid misalignment.
Reinforce Consistently – Your culture should be leveraged everywhere - in the questions you ask potential candidates when hiring for open roles, in performance reviews, etc. Take Amazon, for example. They have a list of Principles with clear definitions and questions to ask that measure individuals to make sure they not only fit the culture but are constantly working to uphold the culture.
The Role of Assessments and Training
Building an effective team culture is not about making everyone think the same. It’s about making sure everyone understands the same rules of the game.
If you want to align your multicultural team around shared values and behaviors, I offer facilitation, Culture Map workshops, and Genos Emotional Intelligence assessments to help you turn culture into a competitive advantage.
Through facilitation, we can ask the team key questions to see where their individual beliefs fall, and then do group activities to gain clarity on what the best approach should be to align beliefs into a core focus. Facilitation is also great for regular check ins to see how the team is doing, including what is working well and what could be optimized as they continue to strengthen their culture.
Culture Map workshops help reveal hidden differences in how people interpret values and behaviors.
Emotional intelligence assessments ensure that team members can navigate differences respectfully.