How to incorporate company culture into your office space

When wanting to incorporate a company’s culture into a physical office space, many don’t know where to start and immediately jump into the design phase. But the most important steps happen before you ever look at a mood board. Here are my top three steps to take BEFORE incorporating experiential design into your workplace. 

#1 – Define your company’s culture first. 

This may seem obvious but if you, the leadership team, and the company as a whole are not aligned on what the organization’s shared purpose, vision, values, and behaviors are, it won't matter what you put on the wall. It will just cause confusion, add to existing misalignment, and of course, waste money. So do your homework to define your cultural ecosystem first before sprinting ahead. 

#2 – Seek employee involvement. 

Involve employees in the design process. Gather input and feedback to ensure that the office space reflects the diverse perspectives and preferences of the workforce. This participatory approach fosters a sense of ownership and belonging. It also adds to the buy-in of the newly established cultural elements that were defined in your earlier homework. Just because you’ve heard your vision 100 times, doesn't mean the employees have. So, take the time to collect input on the design as well as use it as a channel to reinforce your company's cultural elements. 
 

#3 – Be realistic with your needs and budget. 

As much as a complete space overhaul is every person’s dream, redesigning a space can be very expensive. It’s okay to start small and focus on baby steps for communicating your culture. It's the little details that can be the most powerful tool in reinforcing an organization’s culture. In our office, we have a large glass jar in which we can write moments of gratitude, drop them in, and have them read to the whole office throughout the year.