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What Is Organizational Culture?

Organizational culture is the shared values, norms and behaviours that shape how people work together.

An educational definition from the HR glossary. Explore related terms below, or jump into the resource center to go deeper.

Definition

Organizational culture is the shared values, norms and behaviours that shape how people work together.

Why it matters

Culture shapes behaviour, engagement and retention, often more than formal rules.

Examples

Illustrative example. How decisions are made and feedback is given reflects culture.

For the practical detail behind this term, follow the related metric, template and resources below.

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For informational purposes only. This is an educational, plain-language definition — not legal, tax, financial or compliance advice and not an official definition. Terms and obligations vary by organisation and jurisdiction. Numeric examples are simple, placeholder-based illustrations, not data. Confirm specifics with qualified professionals.
Related concepts

Related glossary terms

Keep exploring the HR vocabulary.

Glossary

Employee Experience

Employee experience is the sum of how people perceive and feel about their interactions with an organisation across the lifecycle.

Open Glossary

Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is a shared belief that it is safe to speak up, ask questions and admit mistakes without fear.

Open Glossary

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is how connected, motivated and committed people feel to their work and organisation.

Open
Measure it

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HR metric

Employee Engagement Metrics

Employee engagement metrics describe how connected and committed people feel to their work and organisation.

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HR metrics hub

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Put it into practice

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Hub

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Go deeper

Related resources

The clusters that put this concept into practice.

Lifecycle

Employee lifecycle

The full employee journey, stage by stage.

Open Operations

Employer operations

Run the workforce as a repeatable system.

Open Planning

Workforce planning

Strategy and organizational design.

Open Compliance

HR compliance

Documentation, records, data and policy.

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HR templates

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Open Playbooks

HR playbooks

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HR technology

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Open Funnel

Recruitment funnel

Sourcing through to accepted offer.

Open Reporting

HR reporting & dashboards

Turn people data into clear views.

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AI for HR

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HR resource center

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is Organizational Culture?

Organizational culture is the shared values, norms and behaviours that shape how people work together.

Why does Organizational Culture matter?

Culture shapes behaviour, engagement and retention, often more than formal rules.

How is Organizational Culture measured?

It connects to the HR metric linked on this page, where you can find the formula and how to read it. This glossary entry is an educational definition, not a data source.