This post is a supplement to "How To Actually Build A Culture - What I've Learned"

Determining your company or team’s habitat is not a trivial pursuit. Ask yourself these two questions:

1. What do your customers reward – execution or innovation?
2. What is your operating environment in your market niche - simple & stable or complex & dynamic?

Of course, answering these questions is not trivial either. Here are some other guiding questions to help you come up with the right answers:

What do your customers reward – execution or innovation?

• Is your customer always going to what’s new?
• Are your customers fixated on price or quality?
• How often do your customers expect new products and services?
• Do you have a fan-base of early adopters in your market niche?
• Do customers know what they like and demand it?
• Are customers dissatisfied or bored with what companies in your niche offer?

What is the operating context in your market niche – simple & stable or complex & dynamic?

• Is your company or team divided into a lot of geographies or divisions?
• Do you interact with a lot of partners?
• Is there a new regulation that’s causing everyone to change?
• Is there a new technology that’s disrupting the status quo?
• Do customers have a lot of power when they’re making choices?
• Are there a lot of new entrants to your market niche?