High Performing Cultures: More Than a Mindset 

High performing cultures get talked about a lot, but what do they actually look like in practice? 

At our recent AIBconnect event in Adelaide, AIB graduate Nadya Hamdami delivered a talk on “Beyond the buzzword: Unpacking the reality of building a high performance culture.” Drawing on her MBA journey and career in organisational development, Nadya shared what it takes to move past the slogans and build cultures with a lasting impact. 

“We throw around the term high performing culture a lot,” she said. “But unless you define it, design it and live it, it’s just words.” 

Building the foundations 

When Nadya moved from Germany to Australia in 2008, she brought senior leadership experience from global retailers IKEA and H&M. However, starting again in a new country came with challenges she hadn’t expected. Despite her impressive track record, she found it difficult to progress. 

“I felt like I was hitting the glass ceiling,” she recalled. “I needed something more on my resumé than international experience.” 

The MBA became a way to strengthen her professional foundation with a recognised Australian qualification, while also providing the tools to reframe her career and grow as a leader. Her goals were to: 

• Gain credibility in the Australian market and overcome unconscious bias in recruitment. 

• Strengthen her resumé with a qualification that complemented her international experience. 

• Develop a deeper understanding of core business functions including finance, marketing, governance and operations. 

• Learn to apply systems thinking and see how different areas of an organisation connect. 

• Explore the research and practice behind leadership, change management and organisational development. 

For Nadya, the MBA was never only about adding a credential. It became a lens for seeing organisations differently and a stepping stone to leadership confidence. 

Capabilities that count 

Beyond knowledge, it changed the way she approached problems at both a strategic and day-to-day level. She gained practical tools, but also a new mindset that encouraged her to see connections across functions, weigh evidence carefully and keep questioning assumptions that others might overlook. 

What stood out most was how the MBA reshaped her way of thinking, giving her frameworks she could apply immediately in the workplace. Three capabilities in particular continue to influence her approach: 

• Ecosystem thinking: viewing organisations as interconnected systems rather than isolated departments. It encouraged her to consider how people, processes, culture, structure and strategy all interact, and how decisions in one area ripple across the whole organisation. 

• Research and data: developing the ability to analyse information, draw on research and build evidence-based business cases. This gave her a structured way to support initiatives and present them with confidence to senior stakeholders. 

• Critical questioning: moving beyond surface-level explanations to uncover the real issues behind organisational challenges. By challenging assumptions and asking the right questions, she has been able to identify root causes and design more effective solutions. 

Putting culture into practice 

In her own career, Nadya has seen how theory translates into results. While working in the social services sector, she led a team through the transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The shift from block government funding to billable hours was not a small adjustment – it meant staff had to fundamentally change how they approached their day-to-day work. Long-established habits no longer fit, and the risk of disengagement was high. 

To guide the shift, she introduced a series of initiatives designed to build ownership and capability: 

• Peer coaching to pair stronger performers with those who needed more support, lifting the capability of the whole team. 

• Monthly three-hour meetings to keep communication open, give context to organisational changes and ensure everyone felt informed rather than left behind. 

• Workshops using a “stop, start, continue” method, encouraging staff to identify what was and wasn’t working, and to suggest improvements directly. 

• Guest speakers and shared learning opportunities, including colleagues presenting back from conferences, to make professional development part of the culture rather than an afterthought. 

• Values recognition where staff left anonymous notes acknowledging colleagues who lived the team’s values in practice, turning abstract ideals into daily behaviours. 

 “It wasn’t enough to tell people what needed to change, they had to be part of the process. Once they owned it, everything shifted.” 

The results were clear. Performance improved as staff became more accountable for their own billable hours, but just as importantly, the team’s culture shifted. What began as a compliance-driven change turned into a collective effort to raise standards and support one another. Recognition notes gradually filled the walls, reflecting how people were starting to value one another’s contributions. Alongside this shift, morale improved, collaboration deepened and the team achieved stronger outcomes than before. 

What shapes a high performing culture 

The phrase “high performing culture” appears often in organisations, but its meaning is rarely clear. It shows up in strategies, staff briefings and leadership workshops, yet many teams struggle to understand what it looks like in practice. Without definition, culture risks becoming a slogan that sounds impressive but leaves people uncertain about what to do differently. 

That lack of clarity can be costly. Staff may want to contribute but find it hard to see how their work connects to the bigger picture. Leaders, meanwhile, can set ambitious goals but fail to translate them into behaviours people can recognise. This disconnect is where many workplaces lose momentum. 

Nadya has seen that culture only becomes meaningful when it is both defined and lived. It needs to be specific enough that people can recognise it in action, and consistent enough that it becomes part of everyday practice. In her view, four building blocks are essential: 

• Clarify purpose: ensure people know why they’re there and how their work contributes 

• Set clear expectations: define what success looks like and how it will be measured 

• Prioritise wisely: focus on what matters most right now 

• Build trust through transparency: share openly and communicate often 

“These sound simple, but when you get them right, people feel confident, valued and part of something bigger than themselves.” 

These elements create a shared understanding that connects individual effort to collective success. Without them, culture risks remaining a buzzword rather than a lived experience. 

Leading through uncertainty 

Even with strong foundations, culture is tested most during times of change. Workplaces today face constant pressures, from shifting regulations to technological disruption and evolving market demands. How leaders respond in these moments determines whether culture holds steady or begins to fracture. 

Nadya’s approach is to reduce unnecessary stress for her teams while still keeping them informed. She sees the leader’s role as creating structure and clarity when uncertainty arises, presenting information in ways that are clear, measured and manageable. This balance allows staff to stay focused on their work rather than being consumed by speculation or fear. 

“People don’t expect leaders to have all the answers, but they do expect honesty and steadiness.” 

Transparency also plays a critical role. People quickly notice when information is withheld, and speculation can erode trust faster than bad news itself. 

For Nadya, leading through uncertainty is less about having all the answers and more about shaping how people experience the unknown. By showing composure and providing clear, steady communication, leaders can soften the impact of uncertainty while strengthening the culture that supports long-term performance. 

More than a mindset 

High performing cultures aren’t created by slogans or one-off initiatives. They grow through clear expectations and trusted relationships, but ultimately it is leaders who bring them to life by engaging with their people. 

At our AIBconnect event in Adelaide, Nadya brought this to life by showing how leadership grounded in practice can shift culture in meaningful ways. Her examples highlighted that culture isn’t a static idea, but something shaped through daily choices and consistent behaviour. That message resonated strongly with the students and alumni in the room, many of whom are navigating change in their own workplaces. 

Thank you to Nadya for contributing her perspective to the AIB community. Her insights gave clarity on what it takes to define culture in practical terms and to lead people with confidence through complex change.