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September 10, 2025 19 mins

Is your company culture an accident or an asset? If you're struggling with employee retention and performance, the problem isn't a lack of ping-pong tables; it's a lack of intentional design. M&A executive and strategy expert Matthew Person joins Harmonious at Lunch to challenge the idea that culture is a “squishy” concept.

Matthew argues that copying the perks of “best places to work” is a flawed strategy leading to a 50% turnover rate for new hires in the first 18 months. He introduces his proprietary Square Management System, a concrete framework for building a high-performance organization. Learn how the “4 I’s” (Identity, Instruction, Intercommunication, and Information Feedback) create a culture of alignment, and discover how the principle of “Constrained Independence” can provide the clarity your team needs to thrive.

Chapters:

[00:00] - Is Your Company Culture Too "Squishy" to Scale?

[01:10] - Why Copying "Best Places to Work" Is a Failing Strategy

[03:45] - The Goal of Culture: Achieving "Constrained Independence"

[07:15] - The 4 I's Framework: The First I - Identity

[09:10] - The Second I - Instruction

[10:15] - The Third I - Intercommunication (How the Bait-and-Switch Happens)

[12:30] - The Fourth I - Information Feedback

[14:40] - How to Diagnose Your Culture: A Process for Existing Teams

[17:00] - Using the Framework as a Blueprint for Startups

[18:40] - Find Out Your Own Culture Style with a Free Assessment

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Download the full podcast here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harmonious-at-lunch/id1722490295 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CIVZu21nyAbhHuO0nskRq?si=3d1f729fa9a743bd iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-harmonious-at-lunch-163898157/ Pandora: https://pandora.app.link/uo2Aj4gmSTb

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cb240cab-0e14-4923-8c75-03fe1b21e3ef/harmonious-at-lunch

For strategies to achieve greater clarity in yourself and your employees, visit the HumanOp Website: https://humanop.com/

Learn more from Matthew Person & TownSquare Advisors:

Take the free quiz to diagnose your company's culture or discover your own preferred work style: https://www.townsquare-advisors.com

Connect with Matthew Person: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdperson/

Follow Harmonious at Lunch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humanoptechnologies/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HumanOpTech LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/humanop-technologies-inc/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humanoptech

#CompanyCulture #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #EmployeeRetention #ScalingBusiness



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