I’m an information and IT security consultant with ten years of proven track record in the field of defense contracting. I joined Nixu in Sweden last fall and I figured I’d share my experience as my first anniversary at Nixu has come to pass.
Nixu culture in covers – One Nixu Playbook
September 30, 2019 at 08:49
Companies have policy guidelines, policies, and protocols, but what really rules is the culture. Culture isn’t just something that happens, culture is created. That’s why we created One Nixu Playbook.
We at Nixu, like every company, have a unique culture. What’s special about us is our passion for cybersecurity and flat hierarchy. Now, that we’re growing at an unbelievable pace, it was essential to document the culture somehow.
We have had Nixu Code, our outline of “who we are and how we do things,” consisting of our Ethical Code of Conduct, Values (professionalism, collaboration, humanity, passion for cybersecurity), and Operating principles. Together with our vision and mission, they surely are the fundaments of our culture, but we wanted to create something concrete, expressing the right feeling about our culture. That’s why we decided to create a separate culture handbook.
One Nixu Playbook was created openly in our shared platform, and everyone could join the creation. We interviewed Nixuans and utilized our employee survey as a source. The style of the book is playful, easy-going, and weird in the right way. The printed little book is a rare object in our fully-digital working environment. (Want to see it? Here’s a PDF you can browse.)
As a result of a four-month sprint project, we had our first One Nixu Playbook. And by “first” we mean, that it will have future editions and versions because even though our values are permanent, Nixu’s culture will change over time. Or we just come up with a wittier way to put it! But to be honest, with the speed of change we as a company and the world around us are changing, we don’t think the culture can stay static, either. It’s created together every day with all us Nixuans, and that’s why also the One Nixu Playbook is an iterative concept.
First edition of the One Nixu Playbook captures our culture at this time. It will be interesting to see how it will turn out in the following years, as we grow and evolve as a company. I would put my money on that curiosity, playfulness, and a healthy dose of tinfoil-hattery will remain in our DNA.