Rituals - the hook where culture can hang its hat.

We all have routines; when we get out of bed, when we leave the house, go on holiday, start a teams call, when we get to work, or pick up the kids from school. Concious or subconcious processes or just habits that flow whenever appropriate. We didn't learn or specifically develop these, but they do act as an organically grown mental checklist in preparation for the frequent things of life.

Rituals are less routines, more a fixed series of action performed in a strict order with a predetermined objective. Rituals are more premeditated, deliberate - almost like processes. But rituals are infused with some deeper more emotional meaning - sometimes life-cycle events (eg marriage), or religious events (baptisms), or initiations (eg joining a group) or lived routines (eg festivals). In all of these cases a simple un-emotional, non participating, mostly administrative process would suffice. But that would leave us cold and detatched.

What is it that means that we need routines, processes and rituals in our lives and careers?

Tradition often refers to the passing down of customs, practices and beliefs from one generation to the next. Rituals are a series of actions and practices that are part of such customs or cultures.

The most successful organisations have or want to develop a strong and positive culture. It's the thing that defines what and who they are and how they operate. Strong cultures develop deeply embedded rituals (ones that have deeper meaning to those within). They are the metronome of a business, not in the way of a financial reporting calender, of the timing of board meetings, but in a deeper way that underpins the rythm of a business. that reinforces belonging, marks progress or celebrates success.

Process allows an organisation to repeat things reliably and consistently. Routines allow individuals to function and live their lives using simple sub-concious mental checklists. If a business consists of well-functioning, repeatable processes, thats a good thing. But if it only consists of processes, then it's missing something.... that thing that brings meaning to events as they occur - that bind people together in marking occasions, celebrating, even commiserating.

Rituals are the practice of culture that brings people together. They are the things that are "the way we do things around here" that survive changes in leadership or changes in process. They don't have to be big, staged or showcase events (e.g. anniversary celebrations), they can be something that might last only a few minutes (e.g. ringing a bell to signify cancer free status). Announcing a birth, celebrating a new customer win or celebrating a promotion. It might just be the sharing of pizza at the end of a quarterly team-meeting. Whatever.

Leadership has a role in supporting and encouraging meaningful rituals. Sometimes they might just evolve from the teams within an organisation. Either way, they form a part of building up the legend and history of a business, or organisation, or team of people: Carrying forward elements of the past into the future.

Do you have a culture underpinned by rituals that add rhythm to your teams or business? if not then maybe your culture needs those hooks as somewhere to hang its hat?