What is Culture?
Culture is the pervasive force that guides societal norms and values, impacting day-to-day behaviors such as food choices and risk behaviors, and ultimately impacts human health, happiness and well being. It also shapes how individuals perceive the world and themselves, how they interact with others and even how they define the meaning of life.
Cultural History is a subfield of Historical Studies that examines the beliefs, attitudes and assumptions of people across time and space — from magical beliefs to gender roles and racial hierarchies. It aims to understand how these concepts are expressed in rituals and artifacts, as well as the interactions between them.
It is important to distinguish cultural from material culture, which refers to the physical evidence of a society’s traditions, practices and beliefs in their buildings, artwork and architecture, clothing and other items. These elements are typically referred to as ‘artifacts’, and can be analyzed by archeologists and anthropologists.
However, the essence of a culture is intangible and cannot be observed, but rather, interpreted by those who are part of it. It is often described as a complex network of ideas and attitudes that can be inferred from the interactions of a society with each other, such as beliefs, values, morals, language, organizations and institutions. In addition, it may include social and behavioural traits such as kinship patterns, in-group collectivism, power distance, and human orientation.
Unlike animal species, which are guided by instinctive responses, humans are able to control and manipulate their environments through learned behaviours. These behaviours are governed by a set of societal norms and values, and they are reinforced by the various institutions that influence our day-to-day lives. These include the media, government, education and religion.
The most fundamental tenet of culture is that it defines the broad tendencies of preferences for certain state of affairs over others (good-bad, right-wrong, natural-unnatural). These values are unconscious and intangible, which means that they can only be assessed by observing the way in which the culture’s members act. These practices can then be used to identify the culture — for example, by identifying symbols, heroes and rituals.
A kippah or yarmulke is an example of a cultural artifact that unmistakably identifies a Jewish culture. The hat is worn by men during prayer and has a flat disc-like brimless design that sits toward the back of the head. The hat is traditionally worn with a white garment, known as a tallit — another example of a cultural artifact.
Core Values can be a useful cultural artifact, but they should only be created after you have gained deep clarity about what your culture is and how it works. In many cases, people start with core values and try to build their culture around them, but it is important to remember that this can be counterproductive. Instead, you should build your culture from the inside out. This will result in a more robust and sustainable culture that drives your business success.
Culture is the pervasive force that guides societal norms and values, impacting day-to-day behaviors such as food choices and risk behaviors, and ultimately impacts human health, happiness and well being. It also shapes how individuals perceive the world and themselves, how they interact with others and even how they define the meaning of life. Cultural History is a subfield of Historical Studies that examines the beliefs, attitudes and assumptions of people across time and space — from magical beliefs to gender roles and racial hierarchies. It aims to understand how these concepts are expressed in rituals and artifacts, as well as the interactions between them. It is important to distinguish cultural from material culture, which refers to the physical evidence of a society’s traditions, practices and beliefs in their buildings, artwork and architecture, clothing and other items. These elements are typically referred to as ‘artifacts’, and can be analyzed by archeologists and anthropologists. However, the essence of a culture is intangible and cannot be observed, but rather, interpreted by those who are part of it. It is often described as a complex network of ideas and attitudes that can be inferred from the interactions of a society with each other, such as beliefs, values, morals, language, organizations and institutions. In addition, it may include social and behavioural traits such as kinship patterns, in-group collectivism, power distance, and human orientation. Unlike animal species, which are guided by instinctive responses, humans are able to control and manipulate their environments through learned behaviours. These behaviours are governed by a set of societal norms and values, and they are reinforced by the various institutions that influence our day-to-day lives. These include the media, government, education and religion. The most fundamental tenet of culture is that it defines the broad tendencies of preferences for certain state of affairs over others (good-bad, right-wrong, natural-unnatural). These values are unconscious and intangible, which means that they can only be assessed by observing the way in which the culture’s members act. These practices can then be used to identify the culture — for example, by identifying symbols, heroes and rituals. A kippah or yarmulke is an example of a cultural artifact that unmistakably identifies a Jewish culture. The hat is worn by men during prayer and has a flat disc-like brimless design that sits toward the back of the head. The hat is traditionally worn with a white garment, known as a tallit — another example of a cultural artifact. Core Values can be a useful cultural artifact, but they should only be created after you have gained deep clarity about what your culture is and how it works. In many cases, people start with core values and try to build their culture around them, but it is important to remember that this can be counterproductive. Instead, you should build your culture from the inside out. This will result in a more robust and sustainable culture that drives your business success.