The Generative Culture Series
Essays from the making of a book on generative culture: Ron Westrum's typology of organizational cultures, what generative culture actually asks of leaders, and how failure, messengers, and truth get handled where you work. Each essay stands alone; together they build toward the book.
- Part 1
Scapegoat, Justice, Inquiry: How Your Culture Deals With Failure
When something breaks, whether an organization hunts for someone to blame, follows the rulebook, or asks what let the failure happen reveals which of Ron Westrum's three cultures it actually runs, and what accountability really means there.
Read the essay → - Part 2
Shot, Neglected, Trained: What Happens to Messengers
Whether an organization shoots, neglects, or trains the person who brings it bad news reveals which of Ron Westrum's three cultures it actually runs, and what everyone else learns about speaking up next time.
Read the essay →