The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

This book offers very tangible and accessible advice for those who work in any team environment. Coyle’s suggestions and ideas may seem to come from common sense yet as often described by culture professionals, we often do the opposite and limit our collective potential. His examples and stories bring home the power of focusing on belonging, sharing weaknesses and failures, and clarifying intentions. All of which help the reader create a clearer understanding of important factors to consider when developing team culture.

While the book is well written and quite captivating, this book falls victim to the pitfalls from which many of these types of books suffer. People who have worked in industry or around teams for some time and have had success more likely than not already know all the key takeaways of this book. It doesn’t offer anything particularly novel and definitely isn’t something groundbreaking. Furthermore, it feels somewhat drawn out, and could have been written in less pages more concisely.

Where does great culture come from? How do you build and sustain it in your group, or strengthen a culture that needs fixing?

In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations—including the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs—and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. Drawing on examples that range from Internet retailer Zappos to the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade to a daring gang of jewel thieves, Coyle offers specific strategies that trigger learning, spark collaboration, build trust, and drive positive change. Coyle unearths helpful stories of failure that illustrate what not to do, troubleshoots common pitfalls, and shares advice about reforming a toxic culture. Combining leading-edge science, on-the-ground insights from world-class leaders, and practical ideas for action, The Culture Code offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded.

Culture is not something you are—it’s something you do. The Culture Code puts the power in your hands. No matter the size of your group or your goal, this book can teach you the principles of cultural chemistry that transform individuals into teams that can accomplish amazing things together.

For aspiring or emerging leaders and individuals who want to build successful and great teams this is a valuable book to add to your repertoire. The importance of integrating and effectively incorporating the right mindset into team dynamics cannot be understated