There’s no doubt that each organization has its own culture — a self-reinforcing web of beliefs, practices, and behaviors that form that organization’s identity. As a leader, you can know “the way we do things around here” and can sense your organization’s culture, even though it’s not always easy to define. And you know that culture impacts your employees’ personal engagement, as well as how they interact to do their jobs.
But what happens when those daily interactions are upended? In the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic and its economic aftermath, many people around the world began working from home, more so than ever before. Conference room meetings, informal hallway catch-ups, and watercooler gossip all became virtual. Employees were forced to adapt to new ways of communicating and collaborating. And as a result, those cultural norms that were once reinforced every day when people shared physical spaces began to shift.