Culture Does Not Live in Documents

Culture does not live in documents; it lives in what people believe. Over the years working in communication, culture and change, one insight has become increasingly clear to me: many organisations misunderstand where culture actually sits and how it truly shifts.

Culture isn't housed in posters, value statements or strategic plans. It sits in what people believe, what they observe and what they experience every day. And employees see far more than leaders realise. They sense misalignment, interpret silence and read between the lines, especially at the top.

This is why culture and change work require far more than messaging.

They require an understanding of the systems, beliefs and assumptions that shape how people behave. Over time, I have found that three frameworks, when viewed together, offer a powerful lens for understanding how culture forms and how it can shift: The Results Pyramid, ProSci's ADKAR model and Edgar Schein's definition of organisational culture.

The Results Pyramid and Accountability in Practice

I have worked extensively with Culture Partners' Steps to Accountability and Results Pyramid for many years, using them to support cultural onboarding, leadership alignment and belief-driven communication strategies.

The Results Pyramid offers a simple but profound insight: experiences drive beliefs, beliefs drive actions, and actions drive results.

Underneath it sits the Steps to Accountability: See It, Own It, Solve It, Do It. These steps help leaders and teams examine the beliefs behind behaviour. When we ask, "Is this the belief we want to reinforce?" we begin to see the powerful connection between communication, accountability and cultural outcomes.

Why ADKAR Connects Naturally

Long before I encountered Edgar Schein's work, I noticed a natural alignment between the Results Pyramid and ProSci's ADKAR model.

ADKAR outlines how individuals move through change: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.

In practice, ADKAR is the process that shifts the beliefs within the Pyramid. When people understand why a change is happening, feel motivated to engage, know how to behave differently and experience reinforcement, beliefs shift. And when beliefs shift, results shift.

Schein, The Missing Foundational Layer

My academic work introduced me to Edgar Schein's definition of organisational culture, and it immediately clarified the deeper forces I had been navigating in practice for years. Schein explains that culture is formed through the solutions a group has developed over time to handle two categories of challenge, external adaptation and internal integration.

External adaptation includes forces we cannot control, such as economic shifts, fiscal policy, global crises, and even environmental disruptions like hurricanes. Internal integration contains the realities of human dynamics, five generations in the workforce, differing values and expectations, and unspoken norms.

According to Schein, culture evolves from the solutions that have "worked reasonably well" as the organisation responds to these pressures. It is not about perfection or idealised values, but about what helps the group survive, function and make sense of its world.

Why These Three Frameworks Work Together

When I placed Schein, the Results Pyramid and ADKAR side by side, everything clicked.

Schein explains why certain beliefs and assumptions exist. The Results Pyramid shows how those beliefs shape behaviour and results. ADKAR reveals the process through which beliefs can shift during change.

And communication is the thread that connects all three. Communication creates awareness. Awareness shapes beliefs. Beliefs influence action. Action drives results. Reinforcement sustains the culture.

Where My Work Lives

This integration is where my work lives.

As a practitioner, I focus not only on crafting messages but also on stabilising the organisation's emotional landscape, creating alignment across leadership and designing communication pathways that support belief-level change. My role is to help leaders interpret the culture beneath the culture, anticipate the assumptions people hold and shape narratives that support the outcomes the organisation seeks.

Culture does not shift through declarations, and change does not succeed through strategy alone. Both require intentional communication that respects the realities people are facing, acknowledges what they already believe and guides them toward the beliefs and actions that will deliver the results the organisation needs.

Culture is dynamic. Change is inevitable. But with clarity, alignment and thoughtful communication, both can be navigated with purpose and stability.