Understanding and expressing our workplace culture: How we created the Dynatrace Culture Code

In a world that runs on software, Dynatrace’s continuous growth and excellence demands a culture that unites top talent, resonates with their diverse needs and aspirations, and harmonizes team efforts to achieve our business goals.

In the previous installment of the People & Culture Transformation blog series, we highlighted the extraordinary efforts in making our organization a destination workplace, with ongoing changes aimed at enhancing the Dynatrace employee experience. This blog focuses on the steps we’re taking to cultivate a strong and positive environment for Dynatracers worldwide by articulating what our culture is all about.

The Dynatrace Culture Code originated from the need to connect our company culture’s strategic dots into a single source of truth that expresses it simply and clearly. With our recently refreshed Core Values, inspiring Mission, Purpose, and Vision, and internal discovery research, we could now put our “Dynatrace vibes” into words. We aim to express the guiding principles for everyone at Dynatrace, including how we act, make decisions, and interact with one another and our customers daily.

Decoding Dynatrace culture: Putting “vibes” into words

As we scale our organization, the key to sustaining growth and innovation lies in our approach to engaging top-tier professionals. At Dynatrace, scaling effectively means attracting and keeping the right talent to meet our business needs. We’re prioritizing hiring individuals who live our values and believe in our Mission, Purpose, and Vision, while aligning with the expected behaviors that support a strong culture.

Capturing an organization’s vibrant culture in a few words can be challenging, but it’s essential to creating an inclusive environment that fosters a sense of belonging. The Dynatrace Culture Code allows us to visualize and verbalize our culture in a simple and accessible way so that everyone can understand our Dynatrace “real vibes” and how they contribute to the wider picture: a unified global team working together to ensure software works perfectly.

Connecting the dots and embracing boldness

While the Dynatrace Culture Code was only recently rolled out, most key elements already existed within Dynatrace. Our task wasn’t to introduce something entirely new, but rather to leverage the impact of these elements and highlight their presence. We needed to embrace boldness and curiosity, ask questions, and look deep beneath the surface.

Across the globe, conversations held with Dynatracers formed part of our initial discovery work and highlighted our shared appreciation for our company culture. Our next step was communicating this effectively to potential employees, being upfront and honest about who we are. We reshaped our Life at Dynatrace careers website to tell our story, which captures our culture and explains not only what our values are but also how exactly we Innovate with Passion, Engage with Purpose, and Win with Integrity.

We’re ensuring our story is present at every touchpoint where we might interact with potential future Dynatracers. The goal is to encourage a better understanding of who we are and attract people who align with our values and behaviors.

Adopting the Dynatrace Culture Code internally

While a strong culture has always been part of our DNA, it has evolved over time into the rich culture we’re so proud of today. As a result, it’s become increasingly important to clearly define it and what it means to all current and future Dynatracers.

To successfully adopt the Dynatrace Culture Code, we have embedded it into all areas of our employee experience, from recruitment and onboarding to performance enablement and beyond. Integrating the Culture Code into all aspects of the employee experience ensures that our culture, company values, and expectations of one another remain at the forefront of our minds.

Action item

As we continue our transformation journey, embedding the Culture Code into every aspect of our daily interactions, decision-making, sprints, projects, and operations is integral to our organizational success. Going forward, we’ll ensure all Dynatracers are reminded to refer back to our Culture Code regularly so that we all play our part and are all held accountable for its continued success. It’s crucial that we all know it by heart.

One thing is clear: the simplicity of the Dynatrace Culture Code has already made its adoption possible in many areas of our strategic transformation.

Our ongoing journey

Whether it is our global mindset, Wellness Days, flexible work, or opportunities for continuous learning, there is a personal connection to our company culture for every Dynatracer. The Culture Code acts as a guide, enabling employees to thrive and find a sense of belonging in a diverse, global organization.

With this cultural compass leading the way, we can remain focused on our Mission, Purpose, and Vision to deliver the excellence of Dynatrace to our partners, customers, and colleagues around the globe.

Thank you to everyone involved in developing and implementing the Dynatrace Culture Code. It has already proven to be an integral part of our transformation journey so far, and we’re excited to see how its adoption continues to shape and foster the culture we are so proud of.