We’re fond of saying “culture is what happens in between the rules”.
Culture isn’t policy. Policy isn’t culture. They can inform each other, but ultimately, culture decides how people act when there is no one telling them what to do.
It’s like that Bruce Lee quote about water:
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”
Culture’s like that. We can guide and shape it a little, but we can’t control how it moves. We can merely measure the gaps, and fill them in.
