Real Company Culture vs. Stated Culture: A Strategic HR Performance Issue; An op-ed by Anne-Laure Pams for FocusRH
24.02.2026
A strong and vibrant corporate culture is the cornerstone of any organization. It is its DNA, the keystone that upholds its vision. It is particularly strategic in times of profound transformation such as the present. In periods of instability and uncertainty, it is not slogans that make a company resilient — it is its cultural foundation. But what exactly are we talking about? Operating values. These are what truly underpin corporate culture, structure the collective, fuel employee motivation and engagement. They determine whether people buy in, contribute, and stay… or leave.
Operating Values: The Pillars of Corporate Culture
These values are not the ones displayed on corporate websites, designed to be “inspiring” yet largely interchangeable. They are neither branding gloss nor empty rhetoric nor reflections of passing trends. They are not moral or ethical values. Nor are they brand values centered on products, which may be disconnected from how teams actually function.
Operating values relate to how the organization concretely functions on a daily basis. They shape behaviors, guide decisions, and define priorities. They may include performance, collaboration, or service orientation. They may also concern the importance placed on processes — or, conversely, the emphasis on individuality, agility, and spontaneity.
These values translate into observable actions and decisions whose relevance can be assessed against the objectives pursued. They are visible in day-to-day practices: the level of autonomy granted, attitudes toward error or risk-taking. They help avoid overly black-and-white approaches. This can be particularly relevant in companies with a strong “scientific” mindset — for example, organizations dominated by engineering profiles — where process quality and risk minimization are strong markers. While these strengths are valuable, they may also create blind spots in terms of risk-taking, the ability to pivot quickly, or the willingness to step outside established frameworks.
Yet all too often, these values remain unconscious assumptions — implicit biases that guide decisions and shape how people and environments are assessed. The real challenge is therefore to make them explicit and fully embraced. Ignoring them risks fostering misunderstandings between the individual and the system, between employee and company, and between the company and an evolving market.
Alignment: An Issue to Address from the Recruitment Stage
More than 20% of probation periods are terminated before completion (Dares, 2023). What attracts a candidate? What makes them stay? Or conversely, what leads to the premature termination of a probation period? We often point to skills and professional background.
However, these failures are frequently linked to difficulties with integration, behavior, or adaptation to the work environment — and more broadly, to a lack of cultural fit. Behind these expressions often lies a misalignment in operating values. In other words, when the “graft” does not take, it is rarely a matter of technical expertise or professional competence. It is because the new hire does not adhere to the company’s operating values. They do not share them. They do not feel aligned with them. Or others do not recognize them as belonging.
Recruiting solely on the basis of technical skills — hard skills — is therefore a strategic mistake. Especially since each failed probation period carries a significant cost: recruitment expenses, managerial time invested, team disruption, and impact on the employer brand.
This is why HR must integrate operating values into assessment processes and evaluate a candidate’s alignment with the company’s real culture. This first requires the organization to be able to clearly define and articulate its culture and the values that underpin it, equip recruiters and managers accordingly, clarify implicit expectations, and secure hiring decisions through both a cultural and technical lens.