Actually, the two terms of the title are much more complex than we all initially believe. And they create many more misunderstandings than we could initially think.

In fact, we think that a great effort that every organization should make is to guarantee that all its members have the same understanding of both terms.

Well, our experience tells us that it is very rare that this effort has been made.

We remember with great affection a 2-day workshop with the management team of a medium-sized company in which one of the objectives was to align these definitions and what were initially incredulous faces because we decided to dedicate a time to “such obviousness” then became surprised faces and almost embarrassed because in the first exercise that we proposed they discovered that they had 12 and 14 different definitions respectively.

It is true that all looked similar, but at the same time they had great differences in the interpretations, in the definitions.

The risk, more usual than we could think, is like Mafalda’s comic strip. It shows her in a circle with her friends where she tells them it is time to stop being still, to move forward … and had scream to bring them in order to define forward.

If in an organization or team we do not agree on how we define and measure culture and how we define, measure and stimulate the exploration of potential innovations, it is not easy for us to achieve innovative results.

Culture, in any case, will always be affected and will change, just as it does every day without exception. Little by little, but it does. It is in our hands to manage both and make our culture become a culture of innovation, where innovation is part of the DNA of culture and we do not have to innovate, because we will simply be innovative.