How to define culture

First and foremost, what constitues a company culture? Other than a list of inspirational values on a poster on the wall in your company’s office, it’s a set of lived beliefs which you currently practice. In other words, those behaviours which are rewarded and therefore constitute the reality of how your business operates on a day-to-day basis. 

For example, if equality is an aspired value but behaviour fostering equality isn’t currently rewarded, it’s not going to be a lived reality of your company and therefore part of its culture. Same goes for pretty much any other value you could think of, from integrity (probably no 1 when it comes to presence on office walls) to commitment to client’s success (my personal bullshit bingo winner).