Culture Blooming by Abi Adamson

This book–the first to treat workplace culture like a garden instead of a construction project–offers the proven framework that transforms toxic environments into thriving ecosystems where all talent flourishes.Organizations fail when they treat culture like a construction project. But they thrive when they treat it like a garden, cultivating conditions for growth rather than engineering behavior through rigid blueprints.Award-winning consultant Abi Adamson introduces the SERN framework–Soil, Exposure, Roots, Nourishment–to guide leaders toward sustainable cultural transformation. Through compelling stories from her work redesigning cultures at Spotify, Sony Music, and the Gates Foundation, Adamson shows how to make the following positive Detoxify organizational foundationsEnsure that diverse perspectives get real influenceCreate authentic belongingDistribute resources equitablyOrganizations using this approach report dramatic improvements in psychological safety, authentic engagement, and the ability to retain diverse talent pools. Unlike traditional culture initiatives focused on compliance and conformity, this framework helps leaders identify toxic environmental conditions, move beyond demographic headcounts to actual inclusion, enable people to contribute authentically, and recognize that equal treatment in unequal systems produces unequal outcomes.Set during a pivotal moment when workplace culture programs are being dismantled or reimagined, this practical guide offers leaders a sustainable alternative–treating culture as a living ecosystem that requires ongoing cultivation rather than a one-time structural fix.