Subcultures: The Good, The Bad, And The WhatsApp Group You're Not In

Not One Weather System: Why Your Organisation Has Many Cultures, and What to Do About It

If you have ever moved between departments and felt like you had walked into a completely different organisation, this episode is for you.

This week, Kate and Maddie are exploring organisational subcultures: what they are, why they form, how they can help or hinder the change you are trying to make, and why understanding power between subcultures is one of the most overlooked skills in organisational life.

What we cover in this episode:

Kate opens with a surprising detour into the world of bees (specifically, what they do in winter to keep the hive warm), before the conversation turns to the main event.

We start by unpacking what subcultures actually are and why they emerge. Drawing on Robin Dunbar's research into the limits of human social connection, Kate and Maddie explore why organisations stop feeling like one cohesive group once they grow beyond a certain size, and what fills that space instead.

We then introduce a typology from researchers Martin and Siehl, which describes three kinds of subcultures:

Enhancing subcultures, which amplify and reinforce the dominant culture of the organisation. Orthogonal subcultures, which are simply different, not aligned or opposed, just doing their own thing. And countercultural subcultures, which actively push back against the dominant direction.

Maddy brings in the origin story of the Skunk Works project at Lockheed Martin, one of the most famous examples of a deliberately created enhancing subculture, designed to cut through bureaucracy and drive innovation at speed. We also touch on Google's cycling culture as an example of how an orthogonal subculture can create unexpected cross-functional connections.

Kate then shares a case study from researchers Ogbonna and Harris (2015), based on a Premier League football club the researchers call Regent FC. It is a forensic look at what happens when a powerful subculture is directly threatened by organisational change, and what leaders can learn from why that change did not succeed.

We close with some practical things to try, including how to audit the subcultures in your own organisation, and a personal reflection prompt for anyone who has recently changed roles or been promoted.

Key concepts and thinkers mentioned:

Robin Dunbar and Dunbar's Number, the idea that human beings can maintain stable social relationships with roughly 150 people at most. His book is listed below.

Amy Edmondson's research on psychological safety and the role that team-level culture can play in providing safety even within a broader unsafe organisation. Her book is also listed below.

Martin and Siehl's typology of organisational subcultures: enhancing, orthogonal, and countercultural.

Ogbonna and Harris (2015), a case study on subculture, power, and failed culture change in a Premier League football club.

Things to try:

Do a subculture audit. Map the subcultures that exist in your organisation. Think about what each one is doing, which type it represents, and whether it is helping or creating drag on what you are trying to build.

Consider what needs to be consistent across the whole organisation, and where genuine difference might actually be a strength rather than a problem.

Reflect on your own position in the ecosystem. Which subcultures are you part of? Which ones have you recently left, perhaps through a change in role or level? What might that mean for how you are perceived, and for the relationships you may need to rebuild?

Recommended reading:

Amy Edmondson, The Fearless Organization

Robin Dunbar, Friends: Understanding the Hidden Networks of Our Social Lives

Katherine May, Wintering

Next episode:

Kate and Maddie turn their attention to culture change itself. How do you drive meaningful change in an organisation in a way that actually works? That one is coming soon.

Get in touch:

We would love to hear what you think. You can reach us at hello@acuriousspacepodcast.com

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A Curious Space is produced by Tim Fox. Music by Richard Flindell. Thank you both.