This document summarizes a webinar about bootstrapping an organizational culture without making people uncomfortable. The webinar discusses how culture emerges from daily conversations between members of an organization. To change culture, you need to change the majority of these conversations. The presenter recommends three principles for bootstrapping culture: 1) Set the agenda to guide conversations, 2) Enable conversations by creating opportunities for interaction, and 3) Explore cultural associations like maps, landmarks, folklore and ceremonies to reveal an emerging culture. The goal is to reveal culture organically through conversations rather than artificially "creating" it through forced commitments or rituals.

1. Bootstrapping Culture
Without Freaking
People Out.
Bas de Baar
ProjectShrink.com

2. “A project culture is the element of a project
that keeps its members together, committed to
a shared cause. "Creating" a culture can be
creepy. Having to be committed to the
corporate manifesto, having a shared enemy,
awkward rituals. Talking about corporate
values that people don't experience.
This freaks people out.
In this webinar Bas discusses with you the
principles to bootstrapping a culture.
Revealing a culture without freaking people
out.”

3. Next slide contains a recording of the webinar
"Bootstrapping Culture Without Freaking
People Out." hosted by Bas de Baar from
ProjectShrink.com at September 7, 2011.

5. How I view culture.
(conversations)
Bootstrapping.
(revealing a culture)

6. How I view culture.
Flags!
Busy Bodies.
Conversations.
Template Conversations.
Essential Conversations.

7. “Creating” vs Bootstrapping

8. Group culture and cues

11. Flags!

12. “… culture is the result of all the daily conversations
and negotiations between the members of an
organization. They are continually agreeing ... about
the ‘proper’ way to do things and how to make
meanings about the events of the world around
them. If you want to change a culture you have to
change all these conversations—or at least the
majority of them.”
Source: http://www.new-paradigm.co.uk/culture-complex.htm

21. Bootstrapping.
1. Set agenda.
2. Enable conversations
3. Explore associations

22. 1. SET THE AGENDA

25. 2. ENABLE CONVERSATIONS

28. http://www.good.is/post/what-happens-when-you-put-a-coffee-table-at-a-bus-stop/

29. 3. EXPLORE ASSOCIATIONS

32. Maps
Must-see
Landmarks
Folklore
Ceremonies

34. Bootstrapping.
1. Set agenda.
2. Enable conversations
3. Explore associations

35. Thank you!
BasDeBaar@gmail.com
Bas de Baar
ProjectShrink.com