Workplace culture reflects the combined assumptions and attitudes, the standards and procedures of the workers who make up its ranks. While organizations can’t prescribe good workplace culture, they can create the intention and space in which it might grow.
For the Mountain Association, this intentionality and space is held by the Culture Building Studio (CBS), an open work team that promotes an organizational culture in which workers are empowered, mutually supportive, creative and inspired.
The CBS works to affirm the positive aspects of our organization’s workplace culture, while also providing a collaborative space for workers to innovate, share vested interests and generate opportunities for improvement. In years past, the CBS has facilitated organization-wide discussions on Appalachian history; power and decision making in the workplace; and innovative, bottom-up entrepreneurial development strategies.
The Mountain Association believes that as participants in such spaces, we not only reflect, but also shape workplace culture—developing habits and ways of interacting, as well as expectations of what our organization is—and can become.
The CBS supports critical organization-wide conversations and staff development. The Mountain Association values these efforts not only because they produce a strong workplace culture but because they support our mission, enabling our staff members to better understand their role and place in Appalachian Transition. After all, we know that vibrant cultures are worth investing in – in communities and in workplaces.
