Heading into the new school year, I was thinking about the experience my children will have as they start a new school. Naturally that made me think about the new ‘cycle’ of work we’re headed into as we finalize 2021 plans and settle in to working from anywhere (and with everyone and also no one).

I got to thinking about the companies that I’ve been exposed to and wondered:

How much of a company’s culture was born through the the “in person” office connection?

And perhaps even more practically:

Are organizations and teams adapting quickly enough?

There are little things that companies and teams are starting to do to bring their “together” connections into the “distanced” work environment. Two increasingly effective ones that leverage technology that emerged in the “covid techsplosion” are:

1. Morning Mingle — An impromptu calendar invite to the ‘team’ when you’re doing ‘talkable’ work — and wouldn’t mind chatting while doing the task… Login and see which colleagues are down to mingle at the same time.

2. “Lighting & Headsets” — A company recommended ‘behind the monitor light’ and also updated headsets for staff are not perks, they are part of the standard supplies.

These just scratch the surface. What’s really starting to happen is that high consequence departments, such as security, risk management, compliance, strategic development and executive leadership teams are dedicating the 2–4 week cycle to focus on reviewing (and perhaps defining if it’s a bit dusty), their (1) Cultural Values and (2) Team Norms.

The mindmap below, is written for a business leader or department head. It’s a framework for cultural review and a path for a cultural charge. It’s not the ‘answer’ — each leader in each team will have a different need and related path. The work can still be done in just a few days or weeks — if it’s focused and prioritized.

Leaders need to know that their teams are hoping that they will prioritize adapting their ‘culture’ as we enter the strategic planning phase of 2021. I’ve always loved the back to school, but I love the “back to work” even more at the end of the summer.