This is how our journey from words to action began

Why it’s important to put culture into words

Hion is a young company, full of enthusiastic and highly skilled professionals. Our organizational culture is also still young and, in a way, a unique blend of the past—after all, we were formed by the merger of two different organizations.

This reflection gave rise to the idea of a culture book — a shared compass that would articulate our strengths, define our goals, and support our growth into the future, not just as an organization, but as a community.

Beyond our own story, we know that organizational culture is one of the most critical factors in building resilience. In a world of constant uncertainty, accelerating pace, and rapid technological — especially AI — developments, the importance of resilience is greater than ever. Resilient organizations withstand major surprises, adapt to change, and succeed even in complex environments, thanks to their qualities and attitudes. Yet resilience and adaptability don’t emerge on their own — culture lays the foundation for them (Edmondson, Fearless Organization, 2018).

So, what elements actually build organizational resilience, and what kind of culture do we want to create at Hion?

Research shows that the cultures of resilient organizations emphasize two things in particular: psychological safety and the characteristics of a learning organization. Psychological safety refers to the shared understanding that it’s safe to make mistakes and express differing opinions within the organization without fear of punishment. In the culture of a learning organization, challenges are seen as opportunities for development rather than threats, and a culture of experimentation enables quick changes in direction. Furthermore, resilient organizations particularly value trust and a strong sense of shared purpose (Amy C. Edmondson: Fearless organization, 2018).

As you’ll soon see, the factors listed above also emerged as cornerstones of Hion’s culture. Although our culture is still taking shape, we didn’t start our cultural work from scratch. Over the past few years, we’ve renewed our strategy, refreshed our brand, strengthened our core messaging, and collaboratively defined new values and our purpose. Building on this foundation, we began to define our culture more precisely — and we say, we truly care! We care about the quality of our work, the well-being of our colleagues, and the impact we create on the world around us. We commit to transparency, inclusion, and a genuinely people-centered culture — but how do we truly put these words into practice?

Our journey from words to actions

We began the cultural work concretely last spring with a survey intended to clarify our current state. This was about how Hion employees see the strengths and challenges of our culture today.

Our culture was described as, for example, open, professional, and helpful – but also at times unclear, reserved, and even hierarchical. Hion employees felt the most important cornerstones of our culture were openness, transparency, trust, respect, psychological safety, and the opportunity to influence. Changes were desired, for instance, in finding clearer and more consistent working practices, and in how we can better cherish our connection to one another.

After the survey, we organized a joint workshop for the entire organization where we discussed our future culture through the lens of our values. What do our values – Committed, Inspirational, and Sustainable – mean to us in our day-to-day lives, and how do we hope they will manifest in our work moving forward? For example, how could we demonstrate greater commitment to both our colleagues and our customers, be more inspirational colleagues and leaders, and ensure sustainable growth and development for both Hion employees and our business?

Our workshop was rewarding and sparked a lot of reflection, reinforcing the results of our survey while also challenging us to consider what truly matters to us and what responsibility we each have – as individuals – in shaping our culture. What are the things we feel proud of, and what kinds of practices, interactions, and ways of collaborating do we want to see more of around us?

We are now working on the workshop results in smaller project groups, gradually shaping both the structure and the tone of our culture book. We’re involving Hion employees across the organization, collecting examples, and sharing the book for feedback as it develops. Our goal is for everyone to feel that the book belongs to them already in its creation and to inspire pride.

We’ll be sharing our experiences and learnings throughout this fall so that you can join us on our journey of building culture – stay tuned!