Building the Cultural Artifacts of the Organization

The culture of an organization can be grown and disseminated by infusing it in the artifacts of the organization. These artifacts can be physical things, informational objects, or conceptual artifacts. As people internal and external to the organization encounter these artifacts, they also encounter the culture. This paper focuses on conceptual artifacts—such as stories, metaphors, activities, and patterns—that are constructed and used in the life of the organization’s culture. The paper presents a collection of patterns that discuss how to create and apply conceptual artifacts in growing an organization’s culture.