According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of culture is “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.”¹ If an organization had a personality, this is what it would be.

Leaders from major companies in various industries provide helpful insight into further defining the concept of culture as well:²

• Airbnb cofounder Brian Chesky notes, “Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with a passion.”
• Shopify VP of HR Brittany Forsyth says, “Determine what behaviors and beliefs you value as a company and have everyone live true to them. These behaviors and beliefs should be so essential to your core, that you don't even think of it as culture."”
• Pixar's president, Ed Catmull, highlights, “A hallmark of a healthy creative culture is that its people feel free to share ideas, opinions, and criticisms. Lack of candor, if unchecked, ultimately leads to dysfunctional environments.”

According to research presented in Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture, there are four main types of organizational culture:

• Clan: A family-style corporate culture that is adaptable, team oriented, and more horizontal in structure. This culture works well for smaller companies and is often present in start-ups.
• Adhocracy: A risk-taking culture focused on innovation and adaptability. This culture is present in companies that want to differentiate themselves from others by being the first to have new ideas or products. This culture can be seen most often in the technology industry.
• Market: A competitive, externally focused and growth-oriented culture centered on reaching profitable goals in a controlled environment at the expense of internal satisfaction. This culture may be present at larger organizations that are leaders in their fields.
• Hierarchy: An internally focused, rigid culture that values structure and stability and features a traditional corporate structure with a clear chain of command. This culture is present at organizations that are customer service-oriented and focused on day-to-day operations.³

U.S. airports are either divisions of governmental authorities or structured as airport authorities-both of which utilize a hierarchical structure and closely align with the definition of “hierarchy,” as shown above. Up until the past few years, most airports have operated with multiple management tiers between staff and the C-suite; they have typically been risk averse and safety focused, following tried-and-true processes. If you randomly select an airport from the FAA's list of public airports, the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, you will find that most meet these criteria.

However, with the advent of a wide array of rapidly changing advancements and challenges-from touchless technology for check-in and baggage handling, security scanning, and border control to the rise of autonomous vehicles to new pandemic-related initiatives-airports have found the need to quickly adjust and adapt along with these ongoing changes just to survive. According to McKinsey, Capgemini, Bain, and others, success through these types of major changes requires a strong culture. The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is a good example of this strong culture. Faced with decreasing revenue challenges brought on by poor customer service metrics, CVG embarked on a journey to engage the culture and change their tried-and-true processes to promote an environment that dazzles the customer, energizes the traveler's experience, and expands CVG's revenue stream.^4,5,6