CIPD

Podcast 220: Do leaders establish culture, or are they a product of it?

CIPD

Show Notes

Is it chicken or egg – does leadership shape culture, or does culture shape leadership? The relationship between the two is complex and either one could be the critical ingredient in organisational success. But to what extent can leaders truly set the culture they want or will culture ultimately shape the kind of leadership an organisation produces. Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Beth Samson, People Director at Investors in People; and thought leader, entrepreneur and leadership adviser, Andy Ayim – as we investigate how leadership and culture relate to one another and what organisations can and should do to cultivate the best of both. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from CIPD

Oct 21, 2026

What opportunities does building commercial acumen as a skillset bring for the profession? Does quality of management matter more than any productivity metric? And what does it take for organisations to be bold about AI, without being reckless?

Oct 15, 2026

AI governance, the framework that ensures AI is deployed ethically, transparently and with proper accountability, is no longer a secondary concern. It is foundational to organisational stability and trust. Yet governance has not kept pace with implementation, exposing organisations to real business risks: loss of trust, reputational damage or litigation. But good AI governance doesn’t slow innovation. It establishes the foundations that make innovation possible.

Oct 7, 2026

The CIPD’s latest Resourcing and talent planning 2026 report, supported by Omni, reveals that an increasing number of organisations are extending their workforce planning timeframes from the short to the medium term. Overall, 24% take a short-term approach (up to six months), down from 31% in 2024. However just a fraction of organisations (16%) are planning more than two years into the future.

Sep 23, 2026

What does it really mean for an organisation to know its culture, and is it possible to borrow the best bits of someone else’s? Who should hold responsibility for shaping culture when roles and structures are shifting so fast? And as AI transforms the workplace, can it be a genuine ally in culture change rather than a threat to it?

Sep 16, 2026

According to UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are approximately 548,400 refugees in the UK – yet many highly qualified, experienced people remain locked out of meaningful work. Not by ability, but by structural barriers: recruitment processes that filter out valuable candidates, unrecognised or unfamiliar qualifications, and in many cases, a basic misconception among employers about whether refugees can legally be employed at all.

See all episodes →