
Below is an article sample. To read the full article please visit: nalanikopp.com/articles
The term culture has become an inflated fad in several industries today, particularly in tech startups. A good culture is trendy. Hundreds of articles advise you to invest in culture. Culture is one of the most stated reasons for leaving a company.
Because of the fad, startups and corporate companies are constantly wondering what type of culture they should create and eventually how this will attract the top employees in the war for talent. Stop that.
Culture by it’s definition is organic, formed over time by people. The Oxford dictionary defines culture as “the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society.” Culture was a noun for cultivated land in Middle English or derived from the Latin verb cultura, “growing.” In short, it is not something an organization can curate or enforce.
What you should really be doing is investing in your people. Let me tell you a story to illustrate the difference between a startup that obsesses over its culture and an organization that obsesses over its people.
After working for startups for the next couple of years, I learned a lot about startup culture. Startups will describe their culture by the types of people they want to hire and the perks, mainly. But here’s a more accurate translation of what they say versus what they mean:
Culture Adjectives & Perks Translated*

Smart — we only hire from ivy leagues because we believe rankings determine intelligence rather than a diverse experience

Happy hour — employees feel comfortable drinking during the work day and the company unintentionally supports alcoholism
This is an article sample. To read the full article please visit: nalanikopp.com/articles
This article is meant to be an analytical argument. I encourage you to share, comment, and create a discourse. If you would like to further discuss, please reach out on nalanikopp.com.
