[abbasmehdi]

I beg to differ. As an example, Hacker News has a culture, as laid out by Paul Graham [1]. It is not only shaped by his and moderators' personal demonstration, but also by decree [1]. Those who violate it are chided (publicly and/or systematically). Granted this is an anonymous internet forum [2] not a company, but the general principal is the same - clearly defining expectations and punishing [3] unacceptable behavior. This could perhaps go to explain the HN culture versus another online forum or the comments section of a public site.

[1] http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

[2] Considering which it should be even harder quality control.

[3] I use the term loosely.

[xerophtye]

Well considering the "culture" needs to be laid down in a document, I am surprised that AirBnB, while putting so much emphasis on culture, has not exactly told the team what it is that the heads want preserved?

[abbasmehdi]

>>has not exactly told the team what it is that the heads want preserved

How do you gather?

[xerophtye]

Well at least it's not in the memo. This guy illustrates it nicely via satire:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7619837

[001sky]

Well considering the "culture" needs to be laid down in a document

The illiad was a tour de force promulgation of culture that pre-dated its written (and many times translated) forms by hundreds of years. This list of empirical examples would be mind-boggling and need not be elaborated here. Whether or not the company in question is one of the exemplars is almost beside the point.

[xerophtye]

You misunderstand, i am not supporting the claim that "culture needs to be written down", I am just saying that IF we assume that side of the argument, then the author of the memo is not doing it and thus his effort to preserve culture is futile.

Personally i feel that culture is preserved by practice and not directive. So writing down culture is a rather weird exercise, though i suppose it works as a corrective mechanism. But this memo feels like a half measure. If you want to preserve your culture, best way is to keep following it and lead by example, and you employees will keep following it, and the new ones will automatically conform to it. But if you are explicitly telling them to adhere to it, shouldn't you highlight exactly WHAT do you expect them to adhere to? If not, then what's the point of telling them to keep conforming to it?

He doesn't have to write a formal document on it, but perhaps hint with a few examples so that that reinforces what behaviour is valued.

[scott_s]

The difference, to me, is that what Paul Graham wrote is proscriptive. He encourages or discourages specific behaviors. The typical corporate communication on culture talks about values, but does not focus on the values themselves, or how to encourage or discourage behavior.