Ask the EXpert: How to create ambient culture in a hybrid environment
Dear EXperts,
Before the pandemic our organisation always had a strong push behind co-location for workshops and decision-making whilst also allowing flexible working arrangements. Culture was open and anyone could contribute, which meant that stickers and posters – ambient culture – became the norm. But after the pandemic, the organisation, like many others, became more hybrid, and we now spend less time in the office and are more distributed across the country. We’re adopting more asynchronous working practices too and ambient culture takes place on Slack and in meetings or workshops online, but it’s significantly reduced – particularly because the workforce is less comfortable in speaking up or being bold, and there’s no one pushing ambient culture from the top.
So my question for the EXperts is, how do you create ambient culture in a hybrid environment that's more engaging than simple Slack bots?
From a Senior Product Manager
Our EXpert advice
We do love when a question like this lands in our inbox 🤩 And before we get into our tips and tricks, let’s do a quick definition refresh - because some of you might be wondering what we are referring to when we talk about “ambient culture”.
Definition: Ambient culture refers to the overall vibe and collective identity that people experience and feel within an organisation as a result of shared values, beliefs, and behaviours. It emerges organically through the collective actions of individuals and teams, even when it is not explicitly defined or enforced.
Ambient culture is what organically develops as your organisation and team grows. And it’s happening every minute in your business. Even right now. That’s why defining and being explicit about your culture becomes even more crucial in the world of remote and hybrid work, where traditional means of reinforcing behaviours, such as posters or water-cooler moments no longer exist. However, this should not discourage us from providing or designing for hybrid and flexible working. In fact, regardless of your company’s working setup, we should all be designing for remote-first companies as this enables us to design more inclusive cultures where people feel connected, empowered and included, no matter their location or working hours.
To help you get started in defining and maintaining an ambient culture in your organisation, here are our top tips:
💡 Clear company values: Establish company values that translate into tangible and measurable behaviours and regularly communicate them to your team. Integrate these values throughout the employee experience, from onboarding to decision-making. Use various channels like team meetings, newsletters, or virtual town halls to ensure a shared understanding of what it means to work at the organisation and how this shows up in the everyday - a nice way to do this is to tell stories of when people have lived your values and the impact it has had.
💡Connect with purpose: Review how and when your team gets together, whether in person or online. Be specific about the purpose of these gatherings, who should be invited and what for. Giving people a clear purpose helps them engage more, feel motivated to join and will create working sessions that are more intentional, focused and productive.
💡 Encourage cross-functional collaboration: Provide opportunities for employees from different departments to work together on projects or initiatives. You can promote knowledge sharing and collaboration through virtual brainstorming sessions, online forums, or project management platforms. This will help build relationships and connections beyond immediate teams, strengthening the overall culture without relying solely on top-down direction.
💡 Regularly recognise: Consistently practise recognition and appreciation for each other in a way that upholds your values. Celebrate achievements, milestones, and contributions openly, whether through virtual shout-outs, recognition emails, or public acknowledgments during team meetings. Recognising individual and team efforts that align with your values reinforces your shared beliefs and behaviours, contributing to your ambient culture.
💡 Create connection rituals: There are small but critical moments in the day where you can create connection with your teammates, no matter their location. These include how you start or end a meeting; from 5 minute check-ins before you kick-off your agenda through to how you reflect and recognise as you close out the meeting. And then there are the rituals designed purely to build connection; from Coffee Roulette where you’re randomly paired with someone for a coffee meeting, to monthly PechaKucha where employees can share their stories and experiences with the team.
By implementing these tips, you can create and maintain an ambient culture that fosters connection, collaboration, and a sense of belonging in your organisation. And remember, you don’t have to do it all at once. Prioritise what’s most needed now, and then create a roadmap of initiatives that help you put these practices into place over time.
