Culture is the Glue: Reflections on What Keeps Teams Together

Leadership Blogs – by Dr. Kavita Ghosh, Head – Program Design & Strategy, Development Consortium

Editorial Note: We are delighted to launch the Leadership Blogs column on our website - a space where Development Consortium (DC) leaders share insights from their journeys, ideas that inspire, and reflections on building meaningful impact. In this inaugural piece, Dr. Kavita Ghosh reflects on what truly makes a workplace safe, positive, and inspiring.

A couple of weeks ago, an ex-colleague of mine told me that she was looking for work. As we got further into the conversation, I understood that there was something that deeply hurt her at the workplace, so much so that she decided to move on. In my mind, I thought, what a loss for the organisation, because I know the potential she holds.

That conversation stayed with me, not just because I felt for her, but because it reminded me that workplace culture is something we need to constantly invest in, each one of us. Feeling seen and heard is not a ‘nice-to-have’; it’s the glue that keeps people committed. Whether in a bustling office or a virtual meeting room, that sense of being valued has to be actively nurtured.

So what makes a person feel seen and heard? I currently work in a hybrid set-up, and in this context, the question is even deeper: how to keep a shared spirit when people only occasionally share a physical space. From my lived experiences, I can now pinpoint a few practices that I think are impactful when it comes to creating a positive and welcoming work culture:

1. Leaders Who Role-Model

It is of utmost importance that one sees organisational values in action. What good are the values of belief, resilience, and empathy, if all one sees are behaviours indicating micromanagement, hopelessness, and indifference? On the other hand, if one sees what ‘good looks like,’ it becomes easier to practice it. Vicarious learning has its perks, and it can work wonders in the case of organisational culture.

2. Getting Policies Right

I take no shame in admitting that until a few years ago, I didn’t know about the whistle-blowing policy or if there exists something called PIPs (performance improvement plans). Organisations that are strong with their policies, and with their implementation create a culture where processes are above individuals, not subjected to the whims of the ‘current’ leader. It gives everyone confidence in the structures and systems as much as in each other.

3. Seeing People as Whole Beings

In my experience, we always feel more understood in places where we are seen as whole. Even though I work in a hybrid set-up, I feel a deep sense of belonging, and the reason lies in how we work on a day-to-day basis. We do have deadlines, tight turnaround times, and differences of opinion, but respect never ceases. Boundaries are flexible enough to accommodate personal crises, and mental well-being is valued as much as physical well-being.

As a team, we take little moments to feel connected. The other day, we played a ‘guess who’ game in our leadership team, where we renamed ourselves with our nicknames. Each one of us was chuckling away as we learnt each other’s names from their childhood!

Why This Matters

These are some of my reflections on what makes a workplace a healthy and safe space. At DC, we believe that the culture we build internally must mirror the values we bring to our communities - respect, empathy, and trust. Leadership is not only about results; it is about how people feel when they work with us.