The Power of Culture

An Economist Edge Book

Laura Hamill

A revelatory new book showing how organizations need to be proactive about their culture—and how they can achieve that vital goal.

All organizations have a culture, whether they acknowledge it or not—and whether it's helping or hindering them.

Get it right, and culture can be a positive force for good. Get it wrong, and culture can be a negative force, becoming toxic and undermining performance and reputations.

In short, culture matters.

Organizational culture, though, can be a tricky thing to understand and master. The Power of Culture tackles this head-on, exploring what culture is, and why it matters; how it needs to be aligned with strategy and values; and how to understand it, change it, and make it a reality.

Told through real stories and examples and using the author's Intentional Culture Circle as a guide, this new book helps everyone at work to be more aware of culture and how to find opportunities to use it for growth and success.

Laura Hamill is an organizational psychologist, ex-Microsoft director, and Limeade cofounder. Through her firm Paris Phoenix Group, she is now a consultant advising companies on their cultures. She is also a host at the Happy at Work podcast and lives in Washington, DC, with her family.

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Endorsements & Reviews

"With The Power of Culture, Laura Hamill delivers a thought-provoking exploration of how organizational culture impacts employee and organizational success. Grounded in both research and practical experience, Hamill provides actionable strategies for cultivating positive workplace cultures that prioritize humanity and purpose. This book is a must-read for anyone invested in creating environments where people flourish.”

Sir John Kirwan KNZM MBE, All Blacks rugby legend and the co-founder and visionary of Groov

"The magic of this book is that it does something few books on corporate culture are able to do–which is make perhaps the most complex topic in the business world accessible to a very wide audience. No mean feat. Hamill brings clarity of thought and scintillating writing to the many facets, complexities, and conundrums of culture, from the way it is thought of in academic circles to how it is operationalized in the C-Suite to how it is made sense of by the average employee. In the process she brings us on a journey of discovery that completely illuminates this vast topic. In particular, her take on culture as how we experience it, and her treatment of power in relation to culture are insightful and provocative. If you are only able to read one book on corporate culture, this is the one for you.”

David G. White, Jr., cognitive anthropologist and author of Disrupting Corporate Culture

"Culture can feel vague and amorphous, a silent force that impacts everyone but is owned by no one. The Power of Culture offers a comprehensive roadmap for understanding and harnessing the transformative potential of organizational culture. Blending real-world examples with insightful analysis, Hamill equips readers to proactively - rather than passively - shape culture. Essential reading for building aligned and values-driven workplaces.”

Elaine Lin Hering, author of Unlearning Silence

"Thinking of starting a business? Read The Power of Culture first, carefully, and make sure it has a prominent place on your desk. Promoted to the corner office? Read The Power of Culture before you move in. Hunting for a job as you finish your MBA? Study The Power of Culture before you have your first interview. Laura Hamill knows what she's talking about, and she offers us a powerful guide to creating and sustaining humane and successful organizations. It's a great book!”

Barry Schwartz, author of Why We Work and The Paradox of Choice and the co-author of Practical Wisdom