In this episode of The Puzzle, Isaak and Bruno dive into the complex, tricky question of what defines organizational culture. Is it what you tolerate? Is it only the norms and standards? They challenge the simplistic notion that culture is merely “how we do things around here,” emphasizing its deep-rooted nature within relationships and habits. Drawing from anthropological insights and real-world examples, they explore how culture perpetuates itself even in the absence of specific individuals, regardless of these individuals’ impact (positive or not) on the organization’s culture and performance. They discuss the dynamics of tolerance, compromise, and sacrifice in shaping organizational culture, highlighting the importance of making conscious trade-offs and understanding the long-term implications of actions that end up shaping the culture of an organization through the accumulation of signals inadvertently sent to its members. Ultimately, they stress the need for deliberate attention to organizational dynamics and the recognition that culture evolves over time, whether actively managed or not.