Culture design workshop

Culture design workshops for teams and offsites

Purpose, values, rituals, decisions: you work out together how you want to work, with the Culture Design Canvas. And you leave with next steps that leadership, teams and HR actually have the capacity for.

Book a call

30 min · free · no obligation

The three sessions
Andre Ottlik in a workshop with a leadership team at a table, an online whiteboard on the screen behind him

We have worked with teams at

  • meteocontrol
  • JKM
  • Melitta
  • EGYM
  • Conceptboard
  • HHV
  • fashionette
  • LUMAS

When a culture workshop helps

Many companies have written down their values.
In daily work, meetings and decisions often run as before.
A culture design workshop starts where the culture actually shows.

  • After strong growthMany new people, new teams, and the feeling that the culture has not kept up.
  • After a merger or restructuringDifferent cultures meet and need a shared way of working.
  • Hybrid and remote teamsNew people need to understand quickly how the organisation works and what is expected.
  • Leadership guidelinesGuidelines for leaders that the team works out together instead of receiving them from above.

The Culture Design Canvas in three sessions

In one to three sessions we work with the Culture Design Canvas by Gustavo Razzetti, with the whole team or with individual parts, top-down or bottom-up.

The Culture Design Canvas by Gustavo Razzetti: purpose and values in the centre, surrounded by priorities, behaviours, psychological safety, feedback, rituals, norms and rules, meetings and decision-making
Culture Design Canvas by Gustavo Razzetti, Fearless Culture. Licensed under Creative Commons BY-ND 4.0, shown unchanged.
  1. StrategyPurpose: why do we do this, and how do we live it day to day? Values and our top three. The priorities that follow. Which behaviours we support, and which we counter.
  2. CommunicationPsychological safety: how everyone can contribute and speak openly. Rituals: how we celebrate our team and our work. Norms and rules that guide behaviour without undermining autonomy.
  3. RulesDecision-making: how authority is distributed and which methods we use. Feedback: how we help each other get better. Meetings: which ones we need, and how we run them.

Want to try it with your team first? Our free workshop plan takes you through the three sessions.

At a glance

Duration
Half a day to 2 days, or 1 to 3 sessions
Group
One team up to about 50
Approach
Top-down or bottom-up
Where
Remote, hybrid or on site
Language
English or German
Price
Offer after the call

For SMEs based in Germany: the consulting parts of this program can be publicly funded. Ask us in the call.

Book a call

We talk about your culture, the group and the right scope. You get an offer within a week.

What you have afterwards

Less is more: no wall of sticky notes that nobody looks at again, but a few things that change daily work.

  • An honest pictureWhere your culture stands today, seen by the people who live it.
  • A shared targetHow you want to work, in your words, not copied from another company.
  • Concrete measuresNext steps with owners that fit into processes, meetings and tools.
  • A shared vocabularyCulture becomes something you can talk about, and the commitment of having worked on it together.

Questions about culture design workshops

What is the Culture Design Canvas?

The Culture Design Canvas is a framework by Gustavo Razzetti (Fearless Culture) that helps organisations reflect on their culture in a structured way and shape it on purpose. It covers purpose, values, priorities, behaviours, psychological safety, rituals, norms and rules, decision-making, feedback and meetings.

How long does a culture design workshop take?

It depends on the scope. A compact workshop takes half a day; for deeper culture work we recommend one to two days or a series of up to three sessions. We agree the format with you beforehand.

How many people can take part?

From a single team to an offsite of about 50 people. For larger organisations we design formats in several steps, for example first the leadership team, then all teams.

How do we create leadership guidelines with the team?

Usually in steps: a short call with the management first, then a workshop with the leadership team on purpose, values and behaviours, and finally a workshop with everyone affected, so the guidelines are not handed down but agreed. The result is a short document with concrete behaviours and next steps.

Can the workshop run remotely?

Yes. We work with online whiteboards, which makes remote workshops very collaborative and visual. Hybrid and on site are possible as well.

What happens after the workshop?

You leave with concrete measures, owners and a plan. If you want, we support the implementation with follow-up sessions, coaching or a series like Leadership Essentials.

Does culture design make sense for startups?

Yes. In the growth phase, when many new people join and structures form, it pays off to shape the culture on purpose. Whoever does it early saves a lot of effort later.

Is there funding for culture design?

For small and medium-sized companies based in Germany, yes: the consulting parts of culture design can be funded through the German BAFA grant for SME consulting. It covers 50% of consulting costs, 80% in most eastern German states, up to EUR 3,500 per consulting project and up to twice a year. The workshops themselves are not eligible. Ask us in the call.

How soon can we start?

After a 30-minute call you get an offer within a week. A workshop can usually take place three to four weeks later; for an offsite, the earlier the better.

Shape your culture on purpose

In a 30-minute call we talk about your team, your culture and the workshop that fits. Free and without obligation.

Book a call

After the call you get an offer within a week. A workshop can usually start three to four weeks later.