Cultural intelligence: transform the laws that bind, into the keys that liberate

Culture is law. In an organisation of any size it is the 'culture' that determines your morality, what is and is not OK to think, feel, express and do. Woe betide anyone who transgresses its unspoken boundaries.

Yet culture itself is non-existent, intangible. It has no real life of its own. It is like an entity parasite feeding off the life force of the individuals who consciously or unconsciously sacrifice themselves to it.

Therefore it is an imaginary force to be reckoned with. Unfettered, human culture will typically descend under the law of gravity and hold its captives as prisoners of reason and false promises of security and glamour.

Any naive, un-prepared attempts to rise above the entropy of the organisation will be met with a lethal barrage of anti-aircraft weaponry. This will shoot down creativity, innovation and brave souls who dare to act differently.

If you really want to deal with culture - and win- you need to initiate your cultural intelligence. You have to find ways to transform the deep cultural belief systems whose job it is to hang on even if it causes the death of the host organisation.

First job? Ask us to help you find answers to the following questions: