In the manager's everyday life - September 2026

Sep 23

4 min read

When the organization's values meet everyday demands, culture becomes truly visible. Maritha Holmberg writes about why people's experiences weigh more heavily than management's intentions.

Values are formulated. Messages are communicated. Cultural initiatives are launched. At the same time, the organization's real culture is often created somewhere else entirely, in the choices made when everyday life becomes complex and different goals are set against each other. In this column, Maritha Holmberg explores why culture is not shaped by what the organization says it stands for, but by what people experience every day.

Culture is not created in value words but in everyday choices

Few issues receive as much attention in management teams as culture. At the same time, few issues are so difficult to talk about in real life. Perhaps because culture is almost always described as something we want, rather than something we actually create.

I have sat in on many meetings where committed management teams have discussed which values should shape the organization going forward. The conversations are often wise. The ambition is high. The desire to build something strong is clear.

Yet I sometimes leave meetings with the same thought: If a new employee started with you tomorrow, would they understand the organization's culture by reading the values or by observing the people? That question is often more revealing than we might like to admit.

What I see right now

In recent years, I have met many organizations that have invested a lot of time and energy in cultural issues. Values have been formulated, messages have been anchored, and initiatives have been launched with the ambition to strengthen what should characterize the business.

But when I later meet managers and employees further up in the organization, I sometimes hear a different story. Not because the values are wrong or because the ambition is lacking. But because people always trust what they experience more than what they are told.

I particularly remember one manager who said:

"We say collaboration is important, but when it really comes down to it, it's still the results of one's own unit that drive people's priorities."

That comment has stayed with me.

Because culture is rarely revealed when everything is working as it should. Culture becomes visible when everyday life becomes complex, when resources are not fully sufficient, and when people have to choose between different interests. That's when the organization's true priorities emerge. Not in theory, but in practice.

There is often a gap between what we say and what we reinforce, and this is where I see many organizations end up in a dilemma. They describe a culture they want, but at the same time they happen to reinforce another.

They talk about innovation but react cautiously when someone takes a risk. They emphasize the importance of taking responsibility but still move many decisions up in the organization. They emphasize customer focus, but in everyday life internal processes sometimes have to drive more important decisions than customer needs. The interesting thing is that this is rarely done consciously. Quite the opposite. Most leaders I meet want to create exactly the culture they describe. The problem is that culture is not shaped by intentions. It is shaped by consistency.

After a while, people learn to distinguish between what is said and what actually applies. They begin to understand which behaviors lead to success, which are appreciated, and which risk creating resistance. Slowly but surely, an informal truth about how the organization really works is formed. And that truth often becomes stronger than the formulations on the intranet or in the values.

What research and the outside world show

Research on organizational culture has long pointed in the same direction. Edgar Schein, one of the world's most influential researchers in the field, described that culture is primarily shaped by what leaders consistently notice, follow up on, and respond to. It's an insight that feels more relevant than ever.

In a time when the pace of change is increasing and organizations need to be able to make wise decisions close to the customer, culture becomes a strategic issue. When people are faced with situations where there are no clear instructions, they seek guidance in the norms that have emerged over time. They look at how others act. They see what is rewarded. They note what goes unnoticed.

That's how culture arises. Culture emerges not through communication but through repeated experiences.

What it means for you as a manager

For the leadership team, this carries a greater responsibility than many may want to admit. Culture is built or weakened in the decisions made when no one talks about culture. Every prioritization, every compromise, and every signal about what is important helps shape the organization's norms.

For you as a manager, the question therefore becomes both easier and more challenging. People naturally listen to what you say, but they draw their conclusions from what you do. They observe how you act when goals clash, when time is short and when results are lacking. It is often in these situations that your leadership has its greatest impact. It is also where the culture becomes visible.

When I meet organizations with really strong cultures, it is rarely their values that impress me. Often they are surprisingly similar to everyone else's. The difference lies elsewhere. There is a credibility between words and actions that makes people know what is expected without having to be reminded. They see it in how decisions are made, how problems are handled, and how leaders act when the going gets tough. Perhaps that is why culture is fundamentally less a question of what the organization says it stands for and more a question of what people actually experience every day. Because in the end, culture is not the values that are on the wall. It is the behaviors that remain when no one is looking at the wall anymore.

All the best

Maritha Holmberg

Head of Learning & Development