Culture OS
A New Operating System for Culture, Engagement & Performance
Is your organisation struggling with burnout, disengagement, or underperformance?
Based on systems thinking and tailored to specific organisational contexts, Culture OS helps leaders identify and resolve cultural patterns that hinder engagement and performance, transforming dysfunction into cohesion, resilience, and momentum.
The Problem: Disconnection, Dysfunction and Disengagement
Many senior leaders encounter the same recurring cultural challenges:
- Teams working in silos and resisting collaboration
- Measurement driving the wrong behaviours
- Polarised communication and increasing conflict
- Apathy, disengagement, and quiet quitting
At the root of these is a systemic issue: Structures, processes, habits and incentives that unintentionally divide and demotivate people.
Culture OS decodes these dysfunctions using a proven systems framework, known as Schismogenesis, which is the process by which small, unresolved tensions grow into major breakdowns.
The Patterns That Erode Culture
1. Metrics That Mislead
Targets and KPIs are essential. But when metrics become the sole focus, they:
- Drive narrow, short-term behaviour
- Fuel internal competition over collaboration
- Distract from broader important objectives
The result? Scorekeeping replaces real performance. People manage the numbers instead of managing outcomes.
2. Polarisation in Teams
Differences in style and approach are valuable, but when they are misunderstood, they fuel dysfunction.
- Clarity becomes micromanagement
- Empathy becomes groupthink
- Flexibility becomes vagueness
- Passion becomes intensity
- Caution becomes rigidity
When these traits clash, people retreat into camps. Communication breaks down. Conflict escalates. Trust dissolves.
3. Quiet Quitting
When people no longer see a compelling reason to give their best, or if they think others are taking advantage, they hold back.
- They remove effort and do just enough
- They avoid stepping up and taking responsibility
- They disengage, emotionally and mentally
People check out when vision is not shared, values are misaligned, people work in isolation, and some people seem to be doing less.
The Culture OS Solution
Culture OS is a practical cultural architecture for senior leaders:
Define a Compelling Cultural Vision
- Uncover the deep aspirations of your leadership
- Craft a vision that speaks to head, heart, and gut
- Inspire action through story, symbolism and strategy
Make Values Real
- Condense values into three memorable, actionable phrases
- Define the “too much / too little” of each value
- Capture everyday moments that bring values to life
Build Perspective & Connection
- Develop self-awareness using diagnostics and the TEMPERAMENTS frameworks
- Design rituals and rhythms that support psychological safety
- Create space for real conversations, not just structured agendas
Master the Feedback Culture
- Equip leaders to give and receive feedback effectively
- Replace ambiguity with clarity, and discomfort with trust
- Embed feedback into the rhythm of team life
Build Trust through Better Systems
- Shift from individual to team-based rewards
- Decentralise decision-making to build ownership
- Focus attention on growth, not comparison
What We Offer
Culture OS is delivered through a combination of:
- Consulting: Culture diagnostics, system design, and strategic leadership guidance
- Training: Interactive sessions to embed mindset, language and behaviours
- Coaching: Individual and team-based coaching to support change over time
For more detailed descriptions of problems and solutions, please refer to these articles:
Schismogenesis & Culture - How systems fall apart
Do you have a VISION, or just some high-level ‘business speak’?
Can we talk about feedback? Leadership Techniques for Creating a Performance Culture
From 'Types' to 'Temperaments': The psychological synthesis that underpins the diagnostics
Let’s Talk
If you're facing cultural roadblocks, book a consultation to explore how Culture OS can align your people, energise your teams, and drive sustainable performance.
Culture OS Builds a Culture Worth Belonging To.