Culture > Product
I see a product of an organisation as an artefact of the lived culture within that organisation
A fast growing startup that quickly adapts to a new trend outruns an existing industry behemoth in the same market not because they are somehow better but because the culture in that startup is all about disruption. Not taking the status quo as an answer and not having a large customer base around a stable assumption enables them to think and act different. This creates a culture that is all about exploration, new ideas, new approaches to solve an existing problem. The product as the result of internal culture is the lens through which I try to see organisations and the impact they create.
In communities, the way they treat a new person, the way they talk internally, the shared social tissue is telling me if they are on a growth trajectory or if they have plateaued. Communities that are open and welcoming grow, communities that are all about shared context and have no good way of onboarding new members into that shared context have plateaued.
Going to McDonalds is a predictable experience, you know what you get, globally. This is a product decision that goes hand-in-hand with a strong standardisation of the culture within. Clear roles, clear hierarchies, clear deliverables. Your burger joint around the corner might be a person passionate about the exact spice mix, meat origin and combination of condiments or it might be someone that tries to get by, buys bulk deep-frozen stuff and throws it into a fryer. The nergy when you enter that burger joint around the corner is very different for all three, McDonalds, the burger whisperer and the mostly occupied with their phone deep-fry specialist.
This is also true for any product you build, what is the energy in the room, what is the culture you seed and ultimately, why do you do what you do.