Designing Organizational Culture: Crafting Culture Practices for Happy Effective Teams & Organizations

In Fall 2021, I co-taught Designing Organizational Culture (DESINST 221), a course created in response to the massive shifts in workplace culture brought on by the pandemic, social movements, and economic inequality. Organizations were rethinking how they worked—from remote policies to team structures to employee initiatives—but many were reacting rather than designing. This course gave students the tools to intentionally shape workplace culture using human-centered design, behavioral science, and participatory methods.

Culture is often seen as something abstract—written in mission statements or expressed in company values—but the reality is that culture is what people do every day. Many organizations fall into a default culture, where unspoken norms and outdated habits take hold instead of intentionally designed experiences. This class challenged students to bridge the gap between what organizations say they want their culture to be and what actually happens in practice.

This course was hands-on and prototype-driven, where students worked in teams to identify culture challenges, design interventions, and test new approaches. We explored key topics such as:

• How to design strong, human-centered cultures that align with people’s needs
• The psychology of belonging and engagement in the workplace
• How organizations can use rituals, systems, and behaviors to make culture tangible

We had the privilege of learning from an incredible lineup of guest speakers, including experts in behavioral science, organizational psychology, and workplace equity from institutions like the UK Behavioural Insights Team, Harvard Kennedy School, and the University of Michigan. Their insights helped students think critically about how culture impacts both team performance and individual well-being.

This course reinforced my belief that culture isn’t just something that happens—it’s something we design. By applying human-centered design to workplace culture, we can create more inclusive, resilient, and effective organizations that are better equipped to meet the challenges of our time.

See more at the class site here.