How to Build Culture Like Oxford

In 2008 I pursued a M.Sc. in Higher Education at Oxford University. I was 29 years old at the time and I had never experienced anything like it before – academically or professionally. It was one of the best years of my life.

In many ways Oxford is no different than Canadian universities. Students attend a university and pursue a degree within a faculty. They can also choose to live in residence, or in “colleges”, as they are called at Oxford.

However, the way Oxford differs - and excels - is in its purposeful creation of community.

In the university, there were many free seminars, workshops and classes available to any student who wanted to take advantage of them. After almost each one, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and snacks were available, encouraging attendees to mingle and discuss what they learned. It fostered community.

At the departmental level, I was in a class of 11. We learned through discussion and group tasks. It was impossible to not get to know each other well.

This sense of community was deepened during our mandatory Thursday excursions. Here my classmates and I attended a seminar hosted by guest speakers. This was often followed by dinner and/or attending a university function together. Additionally, our daily tea and biscuit breaks hosted by the department also allowed us to get to know our classmates better, and those who were in different programs within our faculty.

Then there was community created from our college/residence. It was the strongest one of all.

The residence I selected was a large house that was part of Green Templeton College. This house had 26 students living in it - each of us had our own bedroom and our own bathroom. We shared a common dining area in the basement where many of us met for breakfast and dinner. We also went to the main college often, to eat lunch, join clubs, or attend formal dinners, events and parties. It truly was a community.

I suppose Oxford students could choose to be isolated, but it would be difficult to do. The university is structured in a way that equally honours learning and a sense of community. I loved it.

That feeling of belonging and inclusion coupled with rigorous learning and fun hasn’t been matched since my time at Oxford.

Yet, what I have learned is that building community doesn’t have to be challenging. It also may be less about picking the right people (although this is important!), and more about setting the necessary conditions for community to thrive.

For example, many factories have mandatory coffee breaks. This brings people together at the same time each day to talk and get to know one another. Pixar’s Braintrust is a hallmark of a healthy creative culture. People are encouraged to share ideas, opinions and criticisms on the movie they’re making. Some companies put a coffee machine in an open, high traffic area, encouraging people to chat with one another when grabbing a coffee. Other companies or department start each meeting with a team building activity.

Creating culture will vary, depending on the business or organization. Yet, there must be regular opportunities for people to connect socially and professionally during the workday.

Lunch clubs and drinks after work are great opportunities for people to connect, but they are optional activities that typically occur outside the workday.

There also must be opportunities for culture to be built seamlessly into every-day interactions and mandatory activities. Then a strong work culture becomes the norm among all employees, not an option for some.

As a challenge this week, consider how you can seamlessly build community into your work location. Are there opportunities you can create strong work connections with, when or where people regularly interact?

Culture isn’t built overnight. It builds on small conversations and interactions, day by day.

By intentionally creating conditions for these conversations and interactions to naturally occur, any organization can be transformed.  

In turn, happy employees and successful organizations are likely outcomes.

It seems well worth it.