What Is Covenantal Culture?

In our work with business owners, we’ve found the tendency to perceive work culture as how people feel about their work environment. To elicit positive feelings, businesses may offer perks like ping pong Fridays and “bring your dog to work.” While we like these ideas, they typically don’t have a meaningful effect on how employees feel about the culture of their workplace.

When we talk about corporate culture, we’re not referring to casual dress or free sodas in the fridge. We think it is important to acknowledge that you can’t control how employees feel about the culture at your organization.  What you can do is create both an environment and relationships that build and reflect the culture you want your company to have.

A positive culture motivates and engages people. More clearly defined, the culture of an organization is the values which lead to patterns of behavior over time. A covenant is an agreement  that is not dependent on the actions of the other party. Covenantal Culture frames the relationship between an employee and the employer, creating clarity around expectations, rights, and responsibilities.

Achieving Covenantal Culture is not something leaders can accomplish simply by delivering fun events. To create a Covenantal Culture, the leaders of your organization will need to think deeply and purposefully, and then develop a plan to express and support the organization’s values in tangible ways.

We believe that creating a Covenantal Culture will enable an environment for human flourishing, resulting in increased productivity. Covenantal Culture is created when the business is stewarded in a way that provides an environment of clarity.

Read more about what Covenantal Culture is and the ways it can strengthen your organization: Log in to read our Covenantal Culture white paper.