People and Culture: The Human Side of Structure
- Janice George-Pinard
- Jun 3
- 5 min read
People and Culture: The Human Side of Structure
You can have a brilliant business strategy, efficient systems and a solid financial plan, but if your people and culture aren’t aligned, progress will always feel harder than it should.
A simple definition for culture is ‘how things are done around here, all day, every day’. It’s the atmosphere people feel when they interact with your team. It’s the unspoken rules, attitudes, and behaviours that show up in meetings, messages, and everyday work.
Culture is:
✅ Your company's behavioural DNA - it determines how work actually gets done
✅ The difference between a team that's engaged and one that's just going through the motions
✅ Either your greatest competitive advantage or your biggest invisible liability
Culture isn't:
✖️ Just about free snacks or Friday happy hours
✖️ A vague concept that "just happens"
✖️ Separate from your business results
The truth? Your business already has a culture, whether it’s built on purpose or by accident. The critical questions are:
Is it working for you or against you?
Is it accidental or intentionally designed?
Does it align with your values or contradict them?
In this article, we’ll explore the human side of business structure - how to design your team and culture with purpose, so your people thrive, your values stick, and your business grows with integrity and strength.
Define and Share Your Core Values
Your values are the foundation of your culture. They guide decision-making, hiring, communication, and service.
Ask yourself:
What do we stand for?
What kind of behaviours do we celebrate?
What’s non-negotiable in how we treat each other and our customers?
Tips to structure your values:
Write down 3–5 core values (e.g., excellence, integrity, collaboration, innovation, care)
Define what each value looks like in practice
Embed values into your onboarding, team meetings, and performance reviews
Example: If “excellence” is a value, what does that mean in how emails are written, how tasks are completed, or how feedback is given?
Structure Your Team for Clarity and Growth
A common cause of confusion and conflict in businesses is ‘unclear roles’. When people don’t know what’s expected of them, who to go to for decisions or where responsibilities begin and end, confusion takes root.
Here’s how to avoid that and build clarity into your team structure:
✅ Define clear roles and responsibilities
Who does what?
Who makes decisions in each area?
What outcomes is each role responsible for?
Use simple role descriptions to eliminate ambiguity and give people confidence in their responsibilities.
✅ Build a simple org chart
Even a team of 3 can benefit from visual clarity. Don’t overcomplicate things. Ensure that everyone knows where they fit and how their role connects to the bigger picture. This clarity reduces overlap, helps onboard new people, and ensures accountability.
✅ Encourage collaboration, not confusion
A good team structure does not create silos. It encourages healthy collaboration. Create structured ways for people to stay aligned and informed:
Weekly check-ins or team huddles
Project management tools (e.g. Asana, Trello)
Clear processes for handing off tasks and following up
When everyone knows what they’re doing, who they are doing it with, and how to stay in sync, your team can work with greater confidence and less stress.
Hire for Culture, Not Just Skill
Yes, skill matters. But hiring someone who doesn’t align with your values or vision can create long-term problems.
Before hiring, ask:
Do they understand and resonate with our mission?
Do they show the behaviours we want in our culture?
Will they add to—not clash with—our team dynamic?
Tip: Include cultural fit questions in interviews. For example: “Tell me about a time you had to choose between doing something fast and doing it right.”
Build Habits That Shape Culture Daily
Culture isn’t built in big moments. It is formed in daily habits. Here are simple ways to reinforce a positive culture:
Daily stand-ups or weekly team huddles
Celebrating wins, no matter how small
Recognising values in action (e.g. “That was great teamwork…really showed our value of collaboration”)
Regular check-ins for feedback and support
Creating psychological safety where people feel safe to speak up, ask for help, or try new ideas
Align Culture with Performance
Your structure should support people in doing their best work and not just ticking boxes.
That means:
Set clear goals and expectations
Provide growth opportunities (training, coaching, shadowing)
Give regular, constructive feedback
Reward outcomes that align with values and not just results
Example: Don’t just reward someone for hitting targets. Celebrate both what they did and how they did it.
Lead with Emotional and Spiritual Intelligence
If you’re running a Kingdom business, culture is also a reflection of your faith.
It means:
Leading with humility and service
Resolving conflict with truth and grace
Valuing people as more than productivity
Being a safe, respectful, and inspiring place to work
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” - Colossians 3:14
Faith-based leadership shows up in how you treat others, how you make decisions, and how you model your values, even when it’s hard.
Quick Culture Health Checklist
✅ Do we have clear values everyone knows and lives by?
✅ Does every team member know what’s expected of them?
✅ Are communication and feedback open and consistent?
✅ Do we celebrate, recognise, and grow our people?
✅ Does our culture reflect the heart of our mission?
If you answered “no” to any of these, that’s a good place to start.
People First, Always
Remember, your team is the heartbeat of your business, and how you support them will ultimately shape your culture, performance, and impact.
People don’t thrive in chaos or confusion. They thrive in environments where roles are clear, values are lived out, and communication is open. They thrive in cultures that are positive, purpose-driven, and aligned.
If you want to build a business that not only lasts but leaves a legacy (a business that transforms lives, not just bottom lines) then it starts here: with your people and your culture.
✔️ Invest in your people - equip them, encourage them, and trust them.
✔️ Build a culture on purpose - not perks, but principles.
✔️ Lead by example - what you tolerate, celebrate, and communicate will define your culture more than any handbook ever will.
Because in the end: Strong culture = strong structure = strong, sustainable growth.
📖 Catch up on the full Business Structure Series or dive into Part 6 on Customer Experience here: https://www.way2betterbusiness.com/post/customer-experience-as-part-of-your-structure
📩 Want help assessing your team culture or clarifying your structure? Feel free to reach out. I’m here to help.
#BusinessStructureSeries #PeopleAndCulture #Leadership #TeamDevelopment #FaithInBusiness #Way2BetterBusiness #KingdomLeadership #CultureMatters
The above article is part of the Make Growth Happen Series which is tailored to empower business owners like you to develop the right strategy, structure and skills needed to take your business to the next level. .
Janice is a Certified Business Coach whose extensive knowledge and experience in various aspects of business have set her on a mission to help business leaders turn their Vision into Reality. She works with them to develop the right strategies, structure, and skills needed to take their business to the next level. She is the Author of The Ten Commandments of Crisis Management. Janice also works with Christian business owners who desire to run their businesses based on Biblical Principles.
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