Have you ever been to a meeting where a newcomer asked a question that made everyone else cringe — but they had no idea why?
That awkward moment is culture at work.
Being an outsider can feel disorienting because you don’t yet know the rules of engagement. Culture — those shared norms, values and unwritten rules — quietly tells us what’s acceptable, what’s rewarded and what’s off-limits. It’s the invisible glue that holds groups together.
Just as culture guides the behavior of societies, it also defines how we interact in the workplace and community. Because it is observed but largely unspoken, it often goes unexamined. Yet in the social sector, culture is the heartbeat of collaboration and performance — and one of the most underused levers for success. As Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
This truth plays out every day within organizations, collaborations and teams. Culture drives alignment, performance and trust — and when it’s weak, even the best strategy wobbles. That’s why, in our Nonprofit Flywheel, culture isn’t a spoke, it’s the hub that connects and powers them all: Impact, Brand, Revenue and Operations. When culture is strong, everything spins smoothly.
We saw this vividly during the pandemic. Nonprofits with strong cultures built on trust, flexibility and shared purpose navigated uncertainty with resilience and emerged stronger than ever. Those without it didn’t fare so well.
Culture: The Hidden Hub of the Nonprofit Flywheel
Culture gives your organization its energy source. My favorite definition, from Debra Thorsen, captures it perfectly:
“Culture is an energy force that becomes woven through the thinking, behavior and identity of those within the group.”
It’s not what’s written on your walls — it’s what happens in your halls (or on Zoom). It’s how your vision, mission and values come alive in daily practice.
Culture as an Iceberg
To truly understand culture, it helps to think of it like an iceberg. Only a small portion is visible above the surface — strategy, vision, goals and policies. But the real weight lies below in the unspoken norms and assumptions that shape behavior.
The top of the iceberg represents “the way we say we work” — our visible artifacts such as mission statements, strategies and values.
Below the surface lies “the way we really work” — the beliefs, mindsets and unwritten rules that guide daily decisions and interactions.
This deeper layer determines whether your strategies sink or swim.
The Three Levels of Culture
Psychologist Edgar Schein identified three levels of culture that help explain why it is so powerful — and so difficult to manage. Consider how your culture reinforces the types of behaviors you desire (or not!) in your workplace:
VISIBLE: Artifacts – What you see
Dress codes, titles, relationships, vocabulary, traditions (e.g., awards for teamwork versus no recognition) and even your office layout all send signals about what’s valued and how things get done.
INVISIBLE: Values – What you say and do
The stated philosophies and everyday behaviors that express what the organization claims to believe — how decisions are made, how conflict is handled and how people are treated.
DEEPER STILL: Assumptions – What you truly believe
The unconscious attitudes, standards and beliefs that shape decisions and behaviors, often without being questioned.
Healthy organizations regularly examine all three levels to ensure they reinforce the behaviors and beliefs that drive their mission forward.
Culture in Action: Hiring, Performance and Collaboration
Culture is both a filter and a force. It attracts the right people, shapes performance and sustains partnerships.
HIRING: When organizations share their workplace philosophies, they allow their prospective job candidates to decide whether they will fit into the environment. For instance, Teach for America (TFA) values entrepreneurship, even giving annual social innovation awards to individuals who “spark bold, new innovations that expand opportunities” for students. By publicly recognizing innovation, TFA communicates its own hopes — and expectations — for employees’ behavior. (For more information about entrepreneurial culture, check out our post, How to Build an Entrepreneurial Culture in Your Nonprofit). This transparency signals expectations and ensures cultural alignment from the start.
PERFORMANCE: After employees are integrated in the workplace, organizational culture continues to guide performance. The social norms of the organization constitute a powerful method to guide behavior in situations where performance is otherwise hard to quantify. In the example of the newcomer, they would realize how to act when either the leader reacted with chastisement or openness, or perhaps when other members of the group clued them into what is acceptable. These repercussions inform the newcomer and reinforce to other group members which behavior is acceptable and which is not. Group reinforcement — positive or negative — can be one of the strongest performance drivers in any workplace.
COLLABORATION: In coalitions, differing organizational cultures often lead to miscommunication. Partners must establish shared norms and expectations early — clarifying how decisions will be made, what success looks like, and how pace and capacity vary across organizations. For example, quick decision-making may not be as easy for large organizations as it is for small ones. Small organizations may struggle with the time commitment needs of a collaboration, because employees are often wearing many hats. Acknowledging these issues upfront makes the work and interactions much more productive.
At Social Impact Architects, we’ve learned that cultural alignment isn’t just a “soft skill” — it’s the social lubricant that keeps the Nonprofit Flywheel turning.
How to Build a Culture That Fuels Impact
Culture exists whether you work on it or not, so you might as well shape it intentionally. We agree with Peter Drucker — we can give most organizations a great strategy, but we cannot give them a great culture. We encourage clients to treat culture as a strategic asset, embedded in planning — just like strategy based on your unique value proposition — and monitored on a regular basis to align with your goals.
Here are three ways to start:
- Name It. Acknowledge the unspoken. Ask: What behaviors define us? What do we celebrate — or tolerate?
- Measure It. Include culture in your strategy and evaluation efforts. Use surveys, focus groups or assessments to gauge alignment and health.
- Nurture It. Reinforce cultural norms through rituals, storytelling and recognition. Every staff meeting, retreat or performance review is a chance to reinforce who you are.
Putting It Into Practice
If you’re ready to spark cultural change, start small. At your next team meeting, walk through the following reflection questions. Ask:
- Do our values show up in daily decisions? If not, try to embed them.
- Are we rewarding the right behaviors? If so, how? If not, what is a way you can start easily?
- Do our norms foster trust and inclusion? If not, what can we do about it?
- Are our rituals energizing or exhausting? What more can we do to combat burnout?
- Is our culture helping us move faster — or slowing us down?
Then, invite your team to vote on:
- 2–3 short-term ideas to pilot or improve over the next 90 days
- 1 long-term idea to champion across the next year
The Hidden Advantage
In today’s environment of constant change, hybrid work and chronic overwhelm, culture is your hidden advantage. It fuels belonging, psychological safety and shared accountability — the antidotes to burnout.
A thriving culture doesn’t happen by accident — it happens by design. When leaders invest in the invisible forces that shape how people think, feel and work together, they unlock the full potential of their mission.
In the Nonprofit Flywheel, culture sits at the center — powering every spoke, from Impact to Operations. When you nurture culture with intention, everything else spins more smoothly.
We’d love to hear how your organization’s culture contributes to productivity and joy in your work.
