Culture Blooming - by Abi Adamson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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 changes:

• Detoxify organizational foundations
• Ensure that diverse perspectives get real influence
• Create authentic belonging
• Distribute resources equitably

Organizations 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.

About the Author

Abi Adamson is the award-winning founder of the Culture Partnership. Quoted in the New York Times as one of the "Stars of Black LinkedIn," she has delivered over eight hundred workshops and built global culture strategies for Sony Music, Google, Spotify, and Wise. Her acclaimed workshops focus on microaggressions, privilege, allyship, and inclusive leadership. With over 52,000 LinkedIn followers, generating millions of impressions monthly, Adamson advocates for equity in the workplace and helps organizations overcome uncomfortable conversations about culture. As a Nigerian-British consultant living in New York, she brings a unique global perspective to culture transformation.