Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast — Is Yours on the Menu?
The clock is ticking — we’re heading into the final third of the year. Targets are ambitious. The engagement survey revealed some… opportunities.
If you’re a scale-up leader or steering a business through change, it’s tempting to think: “We just need to push harder.”But here’s the uncomfortable truth: if your culture isn’t fit for purpose, it will eat your strategy for breakfast - and you’ll be left wondering why your brilliant plan didn’t stick.
The data is clear:
-66% of executives believe culture matters more to performance than strategy or operating model (PwC)
-72% of leaders say culture enables successful change (PwC)
-High cultural alignment = 4.4x higher revenue (Aon)
-Proactively managing culture can drive 516% higher revenue growth (HBR)
Culture isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s the foundation for growth and embedding change.
What culture really is (and isn’t)
It’s not beanbags, parties, or free lunches. It’s the unwritten rulebook: how people act under pressure, make decisions, treat customers — and each other.Strategy is what you want to achieve. Culture is how it actually happens.
Why scale-ups and change-hit businesses must pay attention
Whether you’re scaling from 50 to 100 and beyond, or navigating a restructuring, leadership change, or new market pivot, your culture will shift. New structures emerge. Fresh ways of working take root. Diverse perspectives join. Original leadership influence naturally dilutes.
Without intentional effort, values fragment and “the way we do things here” becomes inconsistent — undermining morale and execution.
Stages & cultural shifts
-Startup (Clan / Adhocracy blend): Tight-knit, founder-led, high trust
-Growth push (Adhocracy → Market): Speed rules; cracks appear between “old vs. new” hires
-Scale-up maturity (Market → Hierarchy): Process creeps in; decision-making slows
-Inflection point: Whether through growth or change, the big test is the same-evolve without losing your DNA
Shaping culture deliberately
-Diagnose & pivot: Use data, retros, and culture maturity models to identify what drives, blocks, or needs change. Focus on the critical few to avoid overwhelm.
-Lead by example — together: Leadership alignment is essential; mixed signals fracture culture fast.
-Hire and fire for values, not just skills — aligned to evolving behavioural expectations.
-Acknowledge micro-cultures, but keep everyone connected to the vision.
-Involve your people early — co-create, gamify, make it engaging.
As the year closes in, don’t just push harder on the what. Invest in the how — before tension at the inflection point derails you.Because if culture eats strategy for breakfast, the right culture will invite your strategy to dinner too.
