There is a famous quote by the management consultant and writer Peter Drucker that reads: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It is a phrase that has been repeated in boardrooms, leadership seminars, and organisational development workshops for decades.
You may have heard it too. But, I have always been fascinated by the nuance behind this statement. Yes, culture is powerful—but not all cultures are created equal. A high-performance culture is what truly drives organisations toward success. Without it, even the most brilliant strategies can fail.
Let’s discuss why culture is so critical, what makes a culture high-performing, and how you—whether you’re a leader, a team member, or an organisational psychologist like me—can cultivate it.
The Science Behind Culture’s Dominance Over Strategy
At its core, culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and norms that guide decision-making and actions; whereas strategy is the plan for achieving goals. Think of your organisation as a car. Strategy is the GPS that tells how to get to your destination. But, culture is the driver. No matter how good the GPS is, if the driver is not skilled, motivated, or aligned with the plan, you will never reach your destination.
Research supports this idea. An article published by Forbes revealed that companies with strong and aligned cultures experience four times more revenue growth than their competitors. Similarly, a Gallup meta-analysis found that organisations with highly engaged employees—a key indicator of a strong culture—experience 22% higher productivity contributing to an overall higher profitability.
But here is the point: not all cultures are high-performing. A toxic or misaligned culture can interfere in the most well-designed strategies. So, what makes a culture high-performing? And how can you build one?
What Makes a Culture High-Performing?
A high-performance culture is not just about happy employees or a fun office environment. It is a culture that fosters excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement, driving each employee to reach their maximum potential.
After having read numerous research articles and books on high-performing cultures, I have identified four key characteristics that emerge as the foundation of success. Drawing inspiration from the popular Denison’s Organisational Culture Model, which highlights the importance of mission, adaptability, involvement, and consistency in driving organisational effectiveness.
Establish a Shared Purpose and Vision
High-performance cultures are built on a clear purpose. Employees are aware of how their roles contribute to the organisational mission and strategy, and show commitment and engagement creating a sense of unity and cohesion.
Bringing back the car example, high-performing teams know where they are driving to, why, and have a clear vision of the roadmap. Sharing the same vision is key to directing efforts.
For example, in one of my projects as a consultant. I worked with a tech start-up struggling with low morale. After a series of focus groups and surveys, we discovered that employees felt disconnected from the company’s mission. By redefining and communicating the vision, an approach known as vision reframing—the company saw a dramatic shift in engagement and performance.
Foster Psychological Safety
Amy Edmondson’s research on psychological safety highlights its importance in high-performing teams. She states that when employees feel safe to take risks, speak up, share ideas, and admit mistakes without fear of judgment; innovation and collaboration flow within the team.
This is like being on a road trip, while the driver is the culture and the GPS the strategy; imagine no one feels comfortable sharing whether they need a rest or pointing out if the driver has missed an exit. Exhaustion or lack of attention could result in an accident.
I remember one of my consulting projects, a team leader implemented regular “failure debriefs” where team members openly discussed mistakes and lessons learned. This practice not only reduced fear of failure but also led to creative problem-solving and stronger team cohesion.
Cultivate Accountability and Ownership
High-performance cultures foster a sense of ownership. Employees take responsibility for their work and hold themselves and others accountable. This creates a culture of trust and reliability.
Sticking with the same analogy, accountability means each passenger is responsible for a task: making sure the car is clean or that there are enough snacks and drinks. This makes the trip more efficient, coordinated, and fun.
This point is well exemplified in a book called The Oz Principle by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman that highlights this point perfectly under the mindset of “See It, Own It, Solve It, Do It.” The book addresses one case study of a company, where shifting from a blame-oriented culture to one of personal accountability led to significant improvements in productivity, collaboration, and consistently meeting performance targets. This transformation was primarily driven by fostering accountability at every level of the organisation.
highly engaged employees—a key indicator of a strong culture—experience 22% higher productivity contributing to an overall higher profitability.
Embrace Continuous Learning and Adaptability
In today’s rapidly changing world, learning and adaptability are key to achieving a high-performance culture.
Visualise the example of the car. Even though the GPS, or strategy, is directing the car to the destination, the driver must adapt to situations that may affect their path such as closed roads or unexpected changes. This ensures that the car continues its way to the destination in an efficient way.
This mindset has been made very evident with the technological developments in recent years. The eruption of artificial intelligence has made many organisations learn and adapt to new technologies and methodologies so as not to get left behind by their competitors.
Does Your Culture Have the Appetite for Growth?
In the end, strategy may set the direction, but culture determines how far—and how well—you will go. A high-performance culture is the engine that powers sustainable success. Therefore, the real question is not whether culture eats strategy for breakfast, but whether your culture has the appetite to fuel long-term growth.
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