"Cultural Code" reading notes

The book "Culture Code" mainly talks about where does strong team spirit come from? Why is security the cornerstone of building team culture? What can be done to make members feel a sense of belonging? Why does showing weakness empower your team? On your team, are people more willing to hide or show vulnerability? How do seemingly empty goals motivate a team? Does a team really need to shout slogans all the time?

Team culture is one of the most powerful forces on earth, and its influence can be felt everywhere from star companies to championship teams. Harvard University's tracking analysis of more than 200 companies found that a strong team culture can increase a company's net income by 756% in 11 years.

However, building team culture is a headache. A more common situation is that the team has constant friction or is inefficient. The members may all be elites, but they cannot be united.

Where does strong team spirit come from? How to create cohesion so that one plus one is greater than two?

Safety is often viewed as a regulatory work atmosphere, but in fact it is the foundation for building a strong team culture. A common characteristic of successful teams is a high sense of security. Research has also found that the most important indicator for predicting the success of a team is not the skills, experience or past achievements of the members, but their sense of security.

The reason why security has such a big impact on team performance lies in the design of the human brain itself. Out of the need for survival, the brain pays great attention to interpersonal phenomena and is good at capturing and understanding social relationship signals. In an environment full of security, the brain can stop worrying about danger, put down its guard, switch to connected mode, and focus on work. The various cues and signals humans send out to establish secure connections are called "belonging cues." A team leader needs to constantly give "belonging cues" in order to establish a sense of security in the team.

The author summed up six major skills:

Pay attention to listening

If a member has a voice in the team and his opinions are valued, he will naturally have a sense of belonging. . Therefore, team leaders can ensure that everyone can make their voice heard by setting rules or simple mechanisms.

Go out of your way to express gratitude

Research shows that a small thank you can make people twice as generous to strangers. The three words "thank you" are an important cue of belonging that creates a sense of connection with each other. Within successful teams, team leaders express gratitude to their subordinates and to each other much more frequently than average.

Create more fun

This is obvious. A team full of fun and laughter always makes people feel at ease and linger. Because laughter is more than just laughter, it’s the most fundamental sign of safety and connection.

Pay attention to the onboarding moment of new members

When a person joins a new organization, the brain will quickly judge whether he should actively connect with the team. Therefore, successful companies will take advantage of this moment and intentionally include as many cues of belonging as possible in onboarding.

Zero tolerance for "rat shit" behavior

Organizational behavior research has confirmed that "rat shit" behavior can lower team performance by 30 to 40%, so there should be zero tolerance for this attitude.

Create a space suitable for communication and collision through systematic design

Research has found that a major factor affecting team cohesion is the distance between members’ desks, and proximity to each other is a cue of belonging. important indicators. Regarding this, there is a famous "Allen Curve" theory. This theory says that the communication frequency is highest within 8 meters between workstations. If the workstations are 30 meters apart, the communication frequency will approach zero. Even today with the development of social media, people are more inclined to communicate virtually with people who are close to each other in real life. If the company has a cafeteria or a rooftop garden, connections will happen organically.

Research shows that showing vulnerability tends to inspire interpersonal trust and cooperation, especially in group interactions, because it is "contagious."

As a team leader, you should be the first to "show weakness".

Showing vulnerability inspires interpersonal trust and cooperation. This motivational power is strongest when leaders admit that their abilities are limited or they have made mistakes. If the team leader never shows weakness, everyone will try to cover up their weaknesses, interfering with and affecting the completion of every task.

Train the “vulnerability cycle” through specific activities.

This is about integrating vulnerability and connection into every aspect of your team’s culture. The SEALs are best known for their "Hell Week training," which integrates vulnerability and connectivity into every aspect of SEAL training and becomes a set of ironclad values. The team members always keep an eye on each other during the operation and provide support at any time, so the high degree of cooperation between them is not unexpected, but inevitable.

Encourage a "help-seeking culture."

Successful teams do not advocate working hard alone and becoming famous all at once. Instead, they explicitly encourage asking others for help in their daily lives.

Create effective conversation patterns.

For example, the SEAL team’s operational review meeting will focus on five questions:

What is our expected goal?

What are our actual results?

What causes this result?

What will we do next time?

What exactly can be done to make a difference?

Focus on two key moments.

Any team’s cooperative norms can be traced back to two key moments in the team’s early days. One is the first moment of vulnerability when the team faces a challenge; the other is the moment when the team first disagrees.

Featured Goals

Whether their goals are ambitious or specific, most successful teams have a list of “priorities,” or key goals. There are generally no more than five "priorities". Too many can easily distract your energy and focus on one thing at the expense of another. Coincidentally, many teams put the relationship between members as the first priority, because they know that a successful team must first ensure the normal operation of itself.

Be good at using mottos and mottos

The working environment of a successful team is often like a giant bowl of chicken soup. Wherever you look, there are mottos that are either warm, enthusiastic or full of wisdom. On the wall of Meier's restaurant are these words: "If you want to be hugged, hug others first", "When others are angry, think of the best", "Observe carefully and act kindly".

Use meaningful symbols

Symbolic objects can be as useful as slogans and slogans in conveying a sense of purpose. The rocks and sledgehammers placed in the Spurs training ground reflect the team coach's favorite motto - "The rock finally split into two because of the consistent hammering of the stonemason."

Investment and assessment are consistent with the goal

Work assessment involves many indicators, and sometimes the key points are overwhelmed, which is not conducive to establishing a clear sense of purpose.

The principle of investment is the same as assessment. A team has many projects that require investment of manpower and material resources. If the choices are not made properly, it will not be conducive to establishing a sense of purpose.

In general, the formation of an elite team culture depends on the design and meticulous operation of the system. From schools to animation studios, from special forces to NBA star teams, various team stories prove that with scientific concepts and practical operation guidelines, anyone can build an elite team. Regardless of whether it is a business or a family, whether the team is large or small, you can use the secret formula given in this book to unite independent members into a strong whole and make great achievements together.