The ‘culture tripod’- building the culture we want

Every leader talks about culture. Yet many of us struggle to answer a simple question: How exactly do we create the culture we want?

Culture often feels intangible. We can sense it when we walk into an organisation, but it can be difficult to describe. A useful way to think about culture is that it is simply the collection of relevant behaviours you see in the workplace.

As the saying goes: Culture is the behaviours you want and recognise, and the behaviours you don’t want, but tolerate.

So, it is not only behaviours you want which you recognize and reward, it is also behaviours you turn a blind eye to. Ask yourself- ‘What behaviour have I personally tolerated this week that contradicts the culture I say I want?’

If culture is consistent behaviour, then the challenge for leaders becomes clear - the task is to systematically shape behaviours. That can’t be done only by creating inspiring posters or value statements or speeches.

In my experience, there are three powerful levers that leaders can use to build culture- what I call the Culture Tripod:

1.      Leadership actions and role modelling

2.      Rituals, symbols and organisational processes

3.      Core People systems of hiring, promotions/appointments and rewards

Two fascinating examples, from two very different environments, illustrate how these levers can be used in practice: Satya Nadella’s transformation of Microsoft and Mikel Arteta’s rebuilding of Arsenal Football Club.

Case Study 1: Satya Nadella and Microsoft’s Cultural Transformation

When Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in 2014, he inherited one of the world’s most successful companies. Yet internally, Microsoft was struggling. Employees often described a culture characterised by internal competition, silos and a need to prove who was the smartest person in the room.

Nadella understood that Microsoft’s future would not be determined solely by strategy or technology. It would depend on changing how people thought and behaved.

Leadership as the Starting Point

One of his first actions was to articulate a simple and compelling cultural idea: moving from a culture of “know-it-alls” to one of “learn-it-alls.” He championed the concept of a growth mindset, encouraging curiosity, learning and experimentation.

Importantly, Nadella did not merely communicate the message; he role-modelled it. He demonstrated curiosity in meetings and encouraged learning from failure. When criticised for comments he made regarding women negotiating pay, he openly acknowledged his mistake and used it as a learning opportunity for himself and the organisation. Culture change began with leadership behaviour.

Creating New Rituals and Symbols

Nadella also understood that culture is reinforced through everyday experiences.

Employees received copies of his book Hit Refresh, which articulated the cultural journey Microsoft was embarking upon. Leaders were encouraged to reflect on whether their meetings demonstrated a growth mindset. Small reminders promoting listening and learning appeared across the organisation. Monthly communications focused not only on business performance but also on leadership lessons and learning. These seemingly small actions created repeated cultural signals.

Aligning Key People Systems

Perhaps most importantly, Nadella changed the organisational systems that reinforced old behaviours.

Microsoft abolished its infamous stack-ranking performance management system, which had encouraged internal competition and political behaviour. It was replaced with coaching, feedback and collaboration-focused practices. Senior leaders were selected not only for capability but also for their alignment with the desired culture. Diversity goals were incorporated into leadership accountability.

Nadella recognised a critical truth: culture cannot change if rewards, promotions and organisational structures continue to reinforce old behaviours.

Case Study 2: Mikel Arteta and the Rebuilding of Arsenal

While Microsoft’s story comes from the corporate world, similar principles can be seen in elite sport. Followers of the English Premier League would have heard of Arsenal’s transformation.

When Mikel Arteta became manager of Arsenal in 2019, the club had lost much of its identity. Results were inconsistent, standards had slipped and belief among players and supporters had eroded. Over the years, he led this transformation culminating in Arsenal winning the Premier league this year after 22 years, and after 3 years of being second to the eventual winners.

Arteta’s challenge was not simply tactical. It was cultural too.

Building the Right Emotional State

One of Arteta’s most distinctive approaches has been his focus on emotions and psychology.

He appears to believe that people perform best when they are emotionally energised, optimistic and connected to a larger purpose. Rather than relying solely on motivational speeches, Arteta has invested considerable effort in creating experiences that generate the right positive emotions before matches. Music, storytelling, and shared experiences are deliberately used to create feelings of confidence, joy, and collective energy.

This focus reflects an important insight for leaders: behaviour is often shaped by emotion. If leaders want commitment, resilience, and collaboration, they must pay attention to how people feel, not just what they think. Engender or create events that build the appropriate emotions needed.

The Power of Symbols and Rituals

Arteta has also used symbols and rituals masterfully.

At Arsenal’s training ground, visual reminders reinforce the club’s ambitions and identity. One particularly powerful symbol is the deliberate space reserved for the Premier League trophy that Arsenal was yet to reclaim. The absence of the trophy becomes a constant reminder of the club’s purpose and aspirations.

The club’s history, achievements and values are made visible through artefacts and stories that evoke pride and belonging. Rituals celebrating player achievements help reinforce desired behaviours. The use of an anthem and the deliberate effort to strengthen the connection between supporters and players creates a sense of collective identity.

Great cultures are often built through such rituals. They create shared meaning and reinforce what matters.

Setting Standards Through People Decisions

Like Nadella, Arteta has also recognised that culture is ultimately reflected in who stays, who leaves and who gets rewarded.

Over the past few years, Arsenal has made several difficult decisions regarding players who did not fit the desired culture, regardless of talent or status. At the same time, the club has recruited players who embody humility, work ethic, learning orientation and team-first behaviour.

The Four Questions Every Leader Should Ask

The lessons from Microsoft and Arsenal point to four simple questions every leader should consider.

1.      What behaviours do we want?

Many organisations define values in abstract terms. Few clearly define the specific behaviours that should bring those values to life. Culture becomes real only when we leaders can translate that to observable actions.

Now as you start to build those behaviours, ask these 3 questions based on the culture tripod:

2.      Are leaders demonstrating those behaviours?

Employees pay far more attention to what leaders do than what they say.

If leaders preach collaboration but reward individual heroics, people will follow the rewards. If leaders talk about learning but punish mistakes, people will avoid risk. Leadership behaviour is always the strongest cultural signal.

3.      Do our people systems reinforce the culture?

Every promotion, appointment to key senior roles, reward decision sends a message about what matters. Who are the heroes in our organization? This will tell you what the organization values. Celebrate heroes who embody the behaviours you want. If these people systems are not aligned with the desired culture, culture change will remain superficial.

4.      Do we have rituals and processes that reinforce these behaviours?

What key rituals or processes do we have that help reinforce and keep these behaviours at the forefront. You don’t need many- but just some signature rituals.

The Leader’s Real Job

Culture is not built through slogans. It is built through leaders – our communication, our actions, and what we value.

Satya Nadella transformed Microsoft not by issuing a mandate, but by consistently modelling curiosity, redesigning systems, and reinforcing new behaviours. Mikel Arteta has rebuilt Arsenal by creating belief, using powerful rituals and insisting on cultural standards. Their contexts are different. One leads a technology giant; the other leads a football club.

Yet their lesson is the same. The culture we want emerges when leaders are intentional about the behaviours they model, the rituals they create and the people systems they design.

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