Rituals and Culture

In a blog post on June 9, 2023, The Catfight and the Construction Site, Seth Godin pointed out, “It’s easy to imagine that culture is immutable and that we have no choice but to pander for attention. But in fact, the culture keeps changing, and when we shift what we make and change what we pay attention to, the culture follows.”

Reading it reminded me of a conversation that I had with a colleague two days earlier. She pondered about why organizations hung on to certain rituals that may no longer be relevant. 

So what are rituals? In their book Cultures and Organizations, Geert Hofstede and Gert Jan explain that: Rituals are collective activities, technically superfluous to reaching desired ends, but which within a culture are considered as socially essential. They are therefore carried out for their own sake. 

When it comes to the world of business and work, they offer: Business and political meetings organized for seemingly rational reasons often serve mainly ritual purposes, such as reinforcing group cohesion or allowing the leaders to assert themselves. Rituals include discourse, the way language is used in text and talk, in daily interactions, and in communicating beliefs. 

Consider retirement parties. In years past, when employees spent an entire career with one organization, retirement parties likely made sense and served a purpose. They were generally accepted and expected, which, according to the Hofstedes: is precisely what makes a ritual a ritual. It does not need any other justification.

That’s no longer the case today. Employees work for many organizations during their career. They change careers. And many retirement parties lost their luster during the pandemic when they were held on Zoom. 

A colleague recently retired and while she appreciated that her professional peers wanted to honor her contributions to the profession and the community, she gracefully declined a big retirement bash, opting for smaller get togethers and the opportunity to stay connected.

Then consider the younger generations of employees who choose not to be attached to the material grind. They are not interested in sacrificing years of their lives working for one organization to only have it end with a handshake and a golden watch.

What rituals are celebrated in your organization? Are there periodic meetings such as town hall or all hands meetings? In the pre-digital world, these types of meetings brought people together, in person, often so members of leadership could address the group. Are they as relevant today with technology such as live streaming?

What types of events are celebrated in your organization? Are significant milestones such as birthdays or years of service honored? Who participates?

It may be time to examine some of the rituals in your organization. As the Hofstedes pointed out, a ritual does not need any justification. But are they still accepted and expected? Are they advancing your mission and supporting your values?

Before you dispense with any rituals, however, remember that author and historian, David McCullough, said that we’ve got to know where we’ve been to know where we are going.