Culture – Carrots or Sticks

One of the few permanent competitive advantages a company can have is a culture that attracts, retains and motivates a work force. So much has been written about culture, that many people are getting culture fatigue. That doesn’t change its importance but it does perhaps indicate a need for reviewing the basic fundamentals of what a culture is, and what it isn’t.

Jocelyn Goldfein is a venture capitalist at Zetta Venture Partners and has been an angel investor and engineer at Facebook, VMware and other successful firms so she may have some insights on culture that deserve your attention. Culture is often defined as “how we do things around here.” While such definitions are not inaccurate, they are not necessarily helpful. Take a minute to understand why she suggests that a better way to think about it is that “Culture is the Behavior You Reward and Punish.”