Build a Better Culture: Go Small or Go Big?

A guide to improving your culture – whether you tackle one area, several, or the whole system using the Culture Design canvas

One of the most common questions I get from clients about culture design is: “Where shall we start?” They wonder if they should aim to change everything at once or focus on one area. They’re unclear if they should prioritize team culture or look at the whole organization.

There's no one-size-fits-all solution. Some companies only have the time or resources to fix a specific problem, while others want to make big changes.

The key is to keep the big picture in mind at all times – no matter your approach.

In this piece, I want to help you choose where to start your culture design. Let’s explore how to use the Culture Design Canvas to get a holistic perspective, whether you want to improve one or several areas. As a bonus, I’ll share an exercise to help you identify culture blockers and accelerators.

Planning Your Culture Journey

Planning a trip to Europe is a great analogy for how to approach your culture journey – whether you want a short trip or a more comprehensive experience.

Some people are happy visiting just one or two countries – due to interest, time, or budget. They seek deep immersion, whether exploring the streets of Paris or hiking the fjords of Norway. Others explore a broader region, like the Balkans or Eastern Europe, to uncover patterns and shared traits. Many aim to experience the entire continent, gaining insight into the shared values and differences between countries.

Much like planning a trip, there are three ways to approach your culture journey:

1. Focus on one building block (a country)

Think of each of the ten building blocks of the Culture Design Canvas as a country – like psychological safety, feedback, or decision making. You might want to focus on just one to get a taste of the Canvas, much like visiting Italy to see if that part of European culture resonates with you. This path is the best choice to address a pressing issue or when faced with limitations such as time, budget, or resources.

Even if you focus on just one aspect, be mindful of how each block connects to others – consider the system. Other blocks can act as “accelerators” or “blockers” (I’ll explain that later).

2. Work on a section (a region)

For organizations looking for deeper understanding and substantial change, it’s worth exploring a broader region. The Canvas has three key sections: Alignment, Belonging, and Collaboration – the ABCs of culture.

Where exploring a region like Scandinavia or Southern Europe provides a richer view of the continent, focusing on a section of the Canvas offers a systemic approach to culture. This approach helps you see how several elements (building blocks) interact and support each other.

For instance, working on alignment involves more than just defining a purpose or values. It also requires anchoring these beliefs to specific behaviors and priorities.

3. Tackle the whole system (the continent)

Organizations aiming for a complete cultural transformation must address every part of the system. Much like traveling across the entire continent, this will help identify commonalities, gaps, and shared identity.

This all-in approach touches on all ten building blocks of the Culture Design Canvas. This is the most powerful way to use this framework. However, it also requires a strong commitment, including both time and resources. Tackling the whole system doesn’t mean changing everything at once. The mapping and assessment phases often include the entire system, but the implementation is more gradual and focused.

Which Path Is Right for You?

There are many ways to use the Culture Canvas. Your organization’s priorities, constraints, and business goals will determine the starting point.

Consider these questions to help you plan the culture journey that’s right for you:

Do you want to build momentum quickly?

Identify which building block can help you achieve quick wins. For example, identify and remove unnecessary meetings to reduce frustration.

Are resources (time, budget, or staff) limited?

Choose one or two building blocks and focus there.

Do you need to solve interconnected issues?

Tackle a section to address the system, not just the symptom – for example, work on psychological safety and feedback together, as they’re interconnected and reinforce each other.

Are external business demands driving the need for change?

Use the Culture Design Canvas to map and assess your entire culture. This will help you define a full transformation that aligns with long-term goals and strategic priorities.

Is one issue holding everything else back?

Identify the most pressing block based on surveys, such as feedback, and start there.

Want to drive significant change gradually?

Instead of trying to change everything at once, select a more critical area – Alignment, Belonging, or Collaboration – and start there.

The Order of Your Culture Journey Matters

Whether you want to focus on one section or the whole system, the question you should ask is, Where do I start? The answer depends on your organization’s most pressing needs. Here are some factors to consider when deciding which section to begin with.

Alignment is often the logical starting point for mapping the current culture or designing the future state. This is the equivalent of setting your travel itinerary and deciding which destinations matter most.

If your team lacks clarity about purpose, values, or priorities, it can feel like people are traveling in different directions. Alignment provides the roadmap for everything else. Belonging and Collaboration will follow next, in that order.

However, a fractured culture might require starting with Belonging instead, such as when people don’t feel safe or valued. Why bother crafting a new purpose statement if people don’t feel they belong? Without belonging, alignment will remain superficial, and collaboration will suffer.

If psychological safety is low, it’s best to fix that before working on anything else.

Collaboration brings everything into action. It operationalizes alignment and translates belonging into teamwork, but effective collaboration requires both a sense of belonging and clarity on priorities. If your organization struggles with execution or decision making, it’s tempting to try to improve collaboration first.

However, flawed collaboration often results from deeper issues. Unresolved issues or a lack of trust are not resolved with policies, processes, or replacing meetings with asynchronous communication.

If your organization lacks a clear direction, start with Alignment. If your culture feels toxic or distant, Belonging should come first. And if you’re stuck in endless meetings or find it hard to get things done, uncover the root cause before fixing that section.

Reflect using these questions:

1. Which part of your culture needs the most work?

2. What's most urgent or important now?

3. What can you realistically impact in the short and long term?

How the System and Blocks Shape Each Other (Exercise)

Culture is a system, as I explained in a previous post. Although we zoom in on individual blocks, they’re all interconnected in real life. Frameworks help us better understand culture, but the framework is not your culture. It’s simply a tool that provides understanding and encourages reflection.

A system typically has three key elements: components, interconnections, and purpose.

Each of the ten building blocks of the Culture Canvas addresses a specific aspect of your team or company culture. These components are all interconnected; they shape and are shaped by each other. Some have stronger, more direct connections than others, but ultimately, the whole system plays a purpose.

Culture is the glue that brings people together and drives clarity and focus, helping teams do their best work.

System thinking helps us see that no block operates in isolation, much like every country shapes and is shaped by the larger European identity.

Individual blocks can help or hinder others – some components are accelerators, pushing progress forward, while others are blockers, slowing things down.

For instance, Psychological Safety accelerates Feedback – and vice versa. The safer people feel, the more open they are to giving and receiving feedback. Proactively requesting feedback promotes a vulnerability loop, making it easier for colleagues to provide feedback. Thus, it increases psychological safety levels.

The Blockers and Accelerators Exercise:

Use this activity to identify how different building blocks influence each other. It’s beneficial when you want to improve one specific area while keeping the broader system in mind.

Step 1: Choose one block or area you want to improve (e.g., Decision Making).

Step 2: Ask yourself:

• Which blocks are accelerating progress in this area?

• Which components are acting as blockers?

Let’s consider Decision Making.

Psychological safety can be an accelerator. If people feel safe to speak up, they will provide honest input when consulted – and take more ownership of their own decisions.

Conversely, alignment can be a blocker. If people are not aligned on the long-term vision, that will manifest in – and hinder – decision-making processes.

Here’s a real-life example.

I once consulted an architectural firm that struggled to make simple, day-to-day decisions. At first, we focused on speeding up decision making but made little progress. We then realized the real problem was a broader lack of alignment – people weren’t on the same page about company priorities.

To understand this better, we asked the team to map their priorities using “even over” statements.

We found out that:

• One group prioritized “Customers even over great design”

• Another group focused on “Profit even over customers”

• A third group prioritized “Great design even over everything else”

With such different priorities, it’s no wonder they struggled to make simple decisions!

This Blockers and Accelerators exercise is a great reminder to take care of the system instead of focusing on a single element.

Approach Culture as a System

Your path to a better culture is a journey. You can focus on a single element, explore a region, or embark on a comprehensive journey. The Culture Design Canvas offers a flexible framework to address your specific needs.

Some organizations might only want (or be able to afford) a “short trip.” Others might require a longer journey, fully exploring the entire system. No matter your focus or pressing needs, always consider the bigger picture. Don’t just address the individual elements or their interconnections.

Ask yourself: What’s your ultimate purpose? What will a better culture help you accomplish?

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Master the culture design process with confidence. Join the Culture Design Masterclass or schedule a free consultation to explore how we can guide your culture journey – whether you start small or go all in.