Philadelphia –
“We all take turns with the wooden spoon.” A delightful staff member
at Verti Cucina here was talking about preparing the restaurant’s famous Classic Sweet Onion Crepe with Truffle
and Parmesan Fonduta. Vetri takes 50 pounds of onions and reduces them over two
days into five pounds of onion heaven.
“The kitchen fills with that wonderful
aroma,” she said, and everyone from front-of-house staff to the kitchen team
takes turns stirring the pot. What a great way to help build culture.
Edgar Schein once defined
organizational culture as comprising assumptions, values, and behaviors as well
as artifacts, symbols, and creations. That big wooden spoon in Vetri’s kitchen is
a classic example of an organizational artifact or ritual with everyone taking
a turn at the pot. It’s communal and tactile, and it works.
I once used a West African drum I
had in my office as an ornament, of sorts, to signal when we won a new piece of
business at my employer. I would beat the drum if we had no visitors in the
house, everyone would come out of their offices and gather. It became a symbol
of winning and doing so as team. A few people thought I was nuts and did not join in.
Months later, everyone would join in and wanted to beat the drum themselves.
As you build and lead organizational culture, never underestimate the power of artifacts, symbols, creations, and rituals. Create them yourself.
Image courtesy of Amazon.com.