Editor's Note: Today we welcome our guest, Mollie Lombardi. This is the first in a 3 part series about workplace culture under a microscope. Next, check out part 2, Your Culuture Under A Microscope: Align. 

The word “culture” when it comes to workplace communities can have many different expectations and definitions.  But while it’s a concept that’s hard to define, it’s very easy to feel. Whether or not we have the words to describe it, every society, group or workplace has a culture that deeply influences the behaviors and outcomes of everything that each entity tries to accomplish. So, what do we do to harness the power of culture, while we simultaneously struggle to define it?

For the past quarter-century, American businesses have expended untold amounts of time and money trying to engage their employees and build a company culture on a foundation of core values and beliefs, attempting to drive passion, purpose and commitment. 

The lack of understanding that brands have in terms of the human mind, and how it applies to their ongoing loyalty efforts, is concerning in today’s market.

The State of Global Loyalty: A Conversation about Latin America

“Gratitude, particularly if practiced regularly, can keep you healthier and happier.”

— Alex Korb, Ph.D.

Have you ever been concerned that competitors have been diligently measuring the ROI on their employee reward and recognition programs, while your company hasn’t? 

What does customer loyalty look like outside of the U.S.? How are companies around the world addressing the evolving challenges of customer retention? And what can U.S. loyalty marketers learn from their global counterparts? 

Editor's Note: Today we welcome our guest, Mollie Lombardi. This is the second part in a 3 part series about workplace culture under a microscope. Make sure to check out part 1 and part 3

In my previous blog post we talked about what a culture is and how to diagnose it. But the way culture comes to life for most people is through the employee experience. Organizations today are realizing that everything they do contributes to employee experience, from the physical work environment, to the processes, to the tools and technology. Today it’s more important than ever to ensure that your talent management and workforce management tools bring your culture to life. To achieve real value, technology must support the culture and enhance the employee experience. 

LoyaltyLive was a recent conference supporting the convergence of loyalty and blockchain, bringing together thought leaders from both worlds for knowledge exchange and education. I attended the conference as an "optimistic skeptic," hoping to uncover the ways that blockchain will disrupt the loyalty industry.

There is a famous quote, attributed to anonymous, "We are the middle children of history, born too late to explore the Earth, born too early to explore the stars." Fortunately for us, we were born at the perfect time for Artificial Intelligence. A few years ago, AI was technologically impossible. A few years from now, all of the low-hanging fruit will have been picked. But right now, in most industries, if you can apply AI to your business, you might be the first person in history to do so. That's awesome to think about.