Making Culture Concrete: Steering Organizational Behaviour for Strategic Alignment
Executive Summary Organizational culture is often treated as an intangible concept, perceived more through atmosphere than action. Yet for culture to support strategic goals, it must be made explicit, observable, and steerable. This paper argues that the most effective way to influence culture is by focusing on specific, desired behaviours that align with an organization's strategic context. Drawing on insights from organizational psychology, sociology, and change management, we demonstrate how behavioural clarity and contextual awareness enable leaders to drive meaningful and sustainable cultural transformation. 1. Introduction Organizational culture has long been recognized as a critical factor in performance, employee engagement, and strategic alignment (Schein, 2010; Denison, 1990). Despite this recognition, efforts to manage culture often fail due to a lack of concreteness. Culture is not merely a "vibe"—it is a system of shared assumptions, behaviours, and norms that guide how pe