The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Talent Code unlocks the secrets of highly successful groups and provides tomorrow’s leaders with the tools to build a cohesive, motivated culture.
“A truly brilliant, mesmerizing read that demystifies the magic of great groups.”—Adam Grant, author of Think Again
A BLOOMBERG AND LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Where does great culture come from? How do you build and sustain it in your group, or strengthen a culture that needs fixing?
In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations—including the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs—and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. Drawing on examples that range from Internet retailer Zappos to the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade to a daring gang of jewel thieves, Coyle offers specific strategies that trigger learning, spark collaboration, build trust, and drive positive change. Coyle unearths helpful stories of failure that illustrate what not to do, troubleshoots common pitfalls, and shares advice about reforming a toxic culture. Combining leading-edge science, on-the-ground insights from world-class leaders, and practical ideas for action, The Culture Code offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded.
Culture is not something you are—it’s something you do. The Culture Code puts the power in your hands. No matter the size of your group or your goal, this book can teach you the principles of cultural chemistry that transform individuals into teams that can accomplish amazing things together.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
The book explains what factors make small groups successful. It treads a lot of familiar ground and recycles common examples (e.g., is there anything about the workplace that Pixar and Ideo don't exemplify?) but does so in an entertaining and warm fashion that seems relatable.
The book also treads an interesting line between social psychology and business and probably succeeds at both or neither, depending on who you ask. The business part provides helpful suggestions, but is probably a bit naive. It seems to treat organizational cohesion as capable of overcoming any obstacle, regardless of strategy or many aspects of leadership, let alone competency.
The social psych draws from a range of recent studies, but implies a very narrow understanding of what constitutes a group and what makes it successful. Is a group that coheres, supports each other, but does not achieve a successful competitive outcome? What about a group that loathes each other but generates a whole lot of profit? Both exist. They're not even uncommon. The author fails to treat these obvious counter examples and the book suffers for it.
Finally, and this is probably the cost of admission to a business book, the author tries to condense an entire literature into three big points. They fit together OK, most of the time. He gives an example of a team of researchers trying to find balloons hidden across the country by the NSA. Most offer cash payments to searchers. Another team offers payments to the searchers as well as anyone the searchers recruit. He says this creates vulnerability: it asks people to admit they cannot find the balloon on their own and that they require help. But pure microeconomic logic would explain the same phenomenon. Do we need this example or does the author just like it? Does it really fit here? You kinda scratch your head about a number of the examples in the book. But they're fun.
I provide a brief summary below.
The author argues that successful groups tend to:
(1) Create safety by using signals of connection to create bonds of trust. We all still seek to know we are safe, pretty much all the time. When they feel safe, humans can cooperate, even in extreme conditions (e.g., small gestures helped create the Christmas Truce during WW1) and to surprising degrees (e.g., a one hour session in which you talk about your goals instead of ordinary onboarding can make call center agents 250% more likely to stay with their company even a year later). The author correctly notes that status competition in the workplace distracts most people from paying as much attention to safety as they should.
I loved this framing of feedback: "I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations of you and I know you can achieve them" which emphasizes (1) you are part of the group; (2) we have high standards, it's a special group; (3) you can operate at that standard. I use it with my kid
(2) Share vulnerability. If you want to build connection, show your vulnerability not your strength. It helps the person listening lean in and try to help. The impact occurs less to the sender than the receiver, it's a statement that you have weaknesses and need help. It works when it's received and reciprocated and reciprocation is actually the main point. When someone reciprocates weakness with help, the group sees that and says "OK, this is the mode we're going to be in." And everyone gets into that mode. It gets the static out of the way and lets people communicate openly and work together. I loved this section and this explanation. I was also left wondering whether some cultures and/or genders do this better than others. The author didn't address it, but I would assume norms around vulnerability vary by group and I am a bit surprised it doesn't come up in the book.
(3) Create purpose - use narratives and symbols to direct behavior. Stories do not cloak reality, but create it. They transform data nd stimulus into a coherent mental reality. The reality you choose may be prescriptive (ex. Danny Meyer constructs if-then statements for his restaurant workers "Give hugs to get hugs" - my personal favorite) or creatively empowering (ex. Pixar has a number of Zen-like mottos that it employs - "B work is bad for your soul"). But either way, part of what makes groups work well is that they act in harmony toward ends they understand. And humans do that with stories and symbols.
Three stars. A fun read that you can apply at work tomorrow.
The book also treads an interesting line between social psychology and business and probably succeeds at both or neither, depending on who you ask. The business part provides helpful suggestions, but is probably a bit naive. It seems to treat organizational cohesion as capable of overcoming any obstacle, regardless of strategy or many aspects of leadership, let alone competency.
The social psych draws from a range of recent studies, but implies a very narrow understanding of what constitutes a group and what makes it successful. Is a group that coheres, supports each other, but does not achieve a successful competitive outcome? What about a group that loathes each other but generates a whole lot of profit? Both exist. They're not even uncommon. The author fails to treat these obvious counter examples and the book suffers for it.
Finally, and this is probably the cost of admission to a business book, the author tries to condense an entire literature into three big points. They fit together OK, most of the time. He gives an example of a team of researchers trying to find balloons hidden across the country by the NSA. Most offer cash payments to searchers. Another team offers payments to the searchers as well as anyone the searchers recruit. He says this creates vulnerability: it asks people to admit they cannot find the balloon on their own and that they require help. But pure microeconomic logic would explain the same phenomenon. Do we need this example or does the author just like it? Does it really fit here? You kinda scratch your head about a number of the examples in the book. But they're fun.
I provide a brief summary below.
The author argues that successful groups tend to:
(1) Create safety by using signals of connection to create bonds of trust. We all still seek to know we are safe, pretty much all the time. When they feel safe, humans can cooperate, even in extreme conditions (e.g., small gestures helped create the Christmas Truce during WW1) and to surprising degrees (e.g., a one hour session in which you talk about your goals instead of ordinary onboarding can make call center agents 250% more likely to stay with their company even a year later). The author correctly notes that status competition in the workplace distracts most people from paying as much attention to safety as they should.
I loved this framing of feedback: "I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations of you and I know you can achieve them" which emphasizes (1) you are part of the group; (2) we have high standards, it's a special group; (3) you can operate at that standard. I use it with my kid
(2) Share vulnerability. If you want to build connection, show your vulnerability not your strength. It helps the person listening lean in and try to help. The impact occurs less to the sender than the receiver, it's a statement that you have weaknesses and need help. It works when it's received and reciprocated and reciprocation is actually the main point. When someone reciprocates weakness with help, the group sees that and says "OK, this is the mode we're going to be in." And everyone gets into that mode. It gets the static out of the way and lets people communicate openly and work together. I loved this section and this explanation. I was also left wondering whether some cultures and/or genders do this better than others. The author didn't address it, but I would assume norms around vulnerability vary by group and I am a bit surprised it doesn't come up in the book.
(3) Create purpose - use narratives and symbols to direct behavior. Stories do not cloak reality, but create it. They transform data nd stimulus into a coherent mental reality. The reality you choose may be prescriptive (ex. Danny Meyer constructs if-then statements for his restaurant workers "Give hugs to get hugs" - my personal favorite) or creatively empowering (ex. Pixar has a number of Zen-like mottos that it employs - "B work is bad for your soul"). But either way, part of what makes groups work well is that they act in harmony toward ends they understand. And humans do that with stories and symbols.
Three stars. A fun read that you can apply at work tomorrow.
One of the better business books I've ever read. Far from dry. The focus on a variety of companies and historical references gave it depth. If you're looking for inspiration around how to leverage mistakes of growth as well as gain experience from those who've made a solid mark in the world of work (whether you agree with their tactics or not) this is your book. I recommend highly.
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