Team Rituals
About rituals and how you can strategically strengthen your culture with the right rhythms and processes
Team rituals as a carrier of your culture
Culture doesn’t arise in a workshop. It lives in behavior. And that behavior manifests in the way we collaborate, make decisions, give feedback, celebrate, evaluate and develop. That is exactly why team rituals are the most powerful tool to make culture tangible, repeatable, and transferable.
At SUMM we deliberately call these moments Rituals: recurring actions in which teams reflect on their Cultural DNA and actively contribute to the ongoing development of their collaboration and achievements. Not just random routines, but conscious moments in which culture lives—and is strengthened.
In this first article about rituals, we lay the foundation:
What exactly are team rituals, why do they work, and how do you use them as a strategic instrument?
In three additional deep-dives, we’ll delve deeper into how Rituals make a difference within concrete people processes:
- Hiring & selection - (see Deepdive #8)
- Onboarding - (see Deepdive #9)
- Talent development & performance management - (see Deepdive #10)
Because whether you look at hiring, onboarding or performance management: each of these processes is a ritual. And each one is a chance to consciously shape culture.
What is a ritual, actually?
What is a ritual, actually?
A ritual is a structured series of actions carried out in a fixed way, in which people together give meaning to what really matters.
PART #1
The most important characteristics of strong rituals:
Fixed structure or repetition
They follow a recurring pattern, they are never optional and always return. This creates rhythm and recognition.
Collective meaning or sense of community
They connect people to each other and to the bigger purpose.
Active involvement
They require a contribution from team members and enable them to contribute to the whole
PART #2
Why team rituals are no afterthought
Every organization has team rituals. But in many cases, they once originated and were never consciously designed. The result? They don’t support your strategic ambitions, or even work against them.
If you want to build a culture that works, design rituals from strategy. Because rituals aren’t just separate processes: they are the connective tissue between mission, behavior and results.
Rituals create rhythm, security and repetition. They ensure that abstract values are translated into concrete behavior so everyone in your team feels: this is how we do things here.
PART #3
Each archetype, a different rhythm
Not every organization strives for the same culture. Depending on your strategic direction and dominant Cultural Archetype, your organization will need different emphases in team rituals. And therefore also different forms, moments, and rhythms.
Archetype #1
The Achievement culture
This is all about sharpness, ownership, and focus on results. Rituals are strict, individual, and result-driven. Think of goal-oriented check-ins, data-driven feedback, and clear growth paths based on performance.
Archetype 2
The Customer-Centric culture
Requires rituals in which customer stories, empathy and service are central. Rituals connect employees with the customer experience. Think of onboarding with customer personas, team reflections with customer insights, and celebrating service quality.
Archetype 3
The Innovation culture
Thrives on rituals that stimulate curiosity, experimentation and ownership. Rituals are looser, more interactive, and peer-driven. Think of open formats, brainstorms, peer-driven reflections and celebrating risks and failures.
Archetype 4
The One Team culture
This is all about sharpness, ownership, and focus on results. Rituals are strict, individual, and result-driven. Think of goal-oriented check-ins, data-driven feedback, and clear growth paths based on performance.
Archetype 5
The Greater-good culture
Requires rituals that make the bigger picture tangible and where the societal mission is leading. The rituals make impact tangible. Think of purpose-check-ins, collective reflection moments, volunteer days, and initiatives focused on giving and sharing.
PART #4
From moment to system: rituals shape long-term culture
A good ritual is not a one-off event, but a structural part of how you work. It’s part of a system of growth, collaboration, and direction. Think of the ritual of a ‘first-week-lunch’, or a monthly team ritual in which KPIs are discussed according to the culture values.
There are a number of principles that apply to every well-designed ritual:
1. Ensure repetition: culture is created by frequency, not by single impact
2. Connect it to your values: use rituals as an opportunity to bring values to life
3. Make ownership clear: who leads the ritual, what do we expect from each other?
4. Integrate with your growth path and feedback cycle: rituals strengthen each other when they are aligned
Rituals form the heart of every people process
Rituals aren’t an extra layer above your process. They are the process. In every important moment—from first contact to growth conversation—there’s an opportunity to make culture tangible.
In Deepdive #7, #8 and #9, you’ll see how to apply these principles concretely in the context of:
- Hiring & Employer Branding – in which you show who you are before someone joins
- Onboarding – in which you make values tangible from day one
- Talent development & Evaluation – in which you give rhythm and direction to growth
WRAPPING UP
Culture is something you do together
Team rituals are the shared language of your culture. They create connection, anchoring and change. By using rituals strategically, you make values tangible, steer behavior and make culture workable. These are the moments when you show: this is who we are.