In 2022, I shared a best practice we implemented at Centriworks to ensure our company culture would endure and thrive as we grew.
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to attend numerous owner meetings and industry events where a new theme has emerged: transition. Many companies in our industry are navigating leadership changes, passing the reins to the next generation, while others are bringing in leaders from outside the organization. With that transition comes a question that’s both urgent and timeless: How do we preserve the culture that made us who we are?
In conversations with managers at these companies, I’ve sensed a common concern. While the new leadership may bring fresh energy and ideas, there’s often a quiet fear that the values that built the business are being diluted—or worse, forgotten. Culture, after all, isn’t just a mission statement on the wall. It’s how people treat each other, how decisions are made and how success is defined.
There are examples in every industry where successful companies have been acquired and, within several years, the culture was significantly altered. The very attributes that made the company successful were now negated. One example is the 1997 merger of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas.
While Boeing was the acquirer in name, many analysts argue that McDonnell Douglas’s culture ultimately dominated the combined company. There was an immediate cultural clash. Boeing had long been known as an “engineer’s company” focused on innovation, safety and long-term design excellence. In contrast, McDonnell Douglas had a more cost-driven, finance-first culture, often prioritizing short-term shareholder value over engineering excellence.
Following the merger, Boeing adopted McDonnell Douglas’s management style, emphasizing cost-cutting, outsourcing and financial performance. This shift eroded Boeing’s engineering-centric culture, and the culture clash greatly impacted employee morale and productivity. This culture transformation is widely believed to have contributed to the Boeing 737 Max crisis, which involved two fatal crashes and the worldwide grounding of the aircraft.
A Case Study in Continuity
At Centriworks, we’ve been intentional about preserving our culture through change. This year, we earned our third consecutive Top Workplace award and were recognized with 11 out of 12 Culture Badges. The Top Workplace program, administered by Energage, surveys employees anonymously to assess organizational health and culture. Culture Badges highlight a company’s strongest culture drivers—such as cross-team cooperation, informed leadership and open-mindedness—when scores rank in the top 25% of all organizations surveyed. We were especially proud to earn a 95th percentile distinction in employee appreciation.
These accolades aren’t just a testament to leadership; they’re a reflection of how we bring people into the organization. Especially gratifying is the word cloud, made from the comments by our team members, that includes the words from our Core Values Statement: ONE TEAM with INTEGRITY driven by EXCELLENCE creating RAVING FANS.
The onboarding practice I described in my original article—in which every new hire meets with me on day one to learn about our history, values and expectations—has become a cornerstone of our cultural continuity. We don’t just tell people what our culture is; we show them, from the very beginning.
What’s Changed Since 2022?
While the core of our approach remains the same, we’ve enhanced it in meaningful ways. One of the most impactful additions has been our use of the Top Workplace survey results as a feedback mechanism, not just a badge of honor. These anonymous employee insights now serve as a mirror for leadership, helping us identify where our culture is thriving and where it needs reinforcement.
We review the survey data annually alongside our onboarding feedback. This dual lens enables us to identify patterns, address concerns and refine our approach to supporting new team members. It’s no longer just about introducing culture; it’s about listening to how it’s being received and lived.
Our Commitment to Continuous Improvement Also Extends to Client Experience.
One of our strengths as a company has always been setting a clear goal to achieve and creating a plan to accomplish it. Case in point: the first year we participated in the Net Promoter Score client satisfaction measurement, we averaged a score of 85. We saw room for improvement and set a goal to raise the bar. We met and implemented a plan to increase that score, and last year it was 98.
Returning to the discussion of the Culture Badges, we earned five in our first year, six in our second year and eleven this year. That first year, we chose to invest in more detailed survey insights and find out what our team members were saying about the company. The detailed results and comments were shared with each department head, and we implemented a plan to address the issues. The results speak for themselves.
We’ve also expanded our story library to include recent milestones and recognitions, reinforcing that our culture isn’t static; it’s evolving with us. These updates help new hires see themselves as part of a living legacy, not just a historical one.
Lessons for the Industry
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that culture doesn’t survive by accident. It requires structure, storytelling and stewardship. Whether your company is transitioning to a second generation or welcoming new leadership from outside, the question isn’t just who will lead, but how they’ll lead in a way that honors the values that got you here.
Cultural Champions: The Keepers of the Flame
While leadership sets the tone, culture is carried forward by individuals at every level. Culture champions aren’t always in management roles; they’re often the quiet influencers who embody our ethos in everyday interactions. We recognize them in team meetings and encourage them to share their stories, reinforcing that culture is everyone’s responsibility.
Expanding the cultural story collection
Our story library has expanded to encompass not only historical milestones but also recent stories of resilience, innovation and customer impact. We recognize these stories via social media posts that are accessible to all employees and the public. During onboarding and quarterly meetings, we highlight actions that exemplify our culture in action. This practice keeps our values alive and evolving, not frozen in time.
Passing the Torch with Purpose
Leadership transitions are inevitable. Cultural erosion isn’t. With the right practices in place, we can pass the torch without losing the flame. And in doing so, we ensure that the next chapter of our company is not just successful, but meaningful.
For companies navigating leadership transitions, here’s a simple framework I believe can be effective:
- Define your core values clearly and concisely.
- Embed those values into onboarding, performance reviews and daily operations.
- Measure culture regularly through surveys and feedback loops.
- Share stories that reinforce values and celebrate cultural wins.
- Empower cultural champions at every level of the organization.
- Use leadership transitions as opportunities to reaffirm—not reinvent—your culture.
These steps aren’t complex, but they require consistency and commitment. Culture isn’t a one-time initiative; it’s a living system that requires ongoing attention and care.
Final Thoughts
As I reflect on the past year, I’m encouraged by the conversations happening across our industry. There’s a growing recognition that culture is a strategic asset, not a soft concept. By approaching it with the same rigor we apply to sales or operations, we can ensure our companies remain successful, meaningful places to work. I’ll end with an observation a team member recently made after their 90 days: “What I’ve found most inspiring about Centriworks is the clarity of purpose behind our actions and how consistently they reflect our mission in practice.”
