Governance Is Not a Code. It’s a Culture in Motion.
It is both a privilege and a responsibility to speak about governance not as a function, but as a foundation. Too often, when we discuss governance, we default to frameworks, protocols, or codes of compliance. These are necessary tools. But they are not the essence.
Governance, at its core, is not a set of instructions to be followed. It is a way of being, a cultural belief system that is absorbed, lived, and passed on. Just as we do not learn kindness by reading a manual, we do not become stewards of governance through policies alone. We learn it through the behaviours we observe, the values we reinforce, and the expectations we set for ourselves and each other.
There is a temptation to reduce governance to bureaucracy, especially in large institutions and global systems. We see the rise of oversight mechanisms, of performance indicators, and of procedural checklists. Yet even with all these structures in place, trust continues to erode. Communities feel unheard. Employees feel disengaged. Citizens feel excluded. The presence of compliance does not always ensure the presence of conviction.
This is not a failure of structure, but a failure of spirit.
What we need is a more human-centred understanding of governance, one that recognises it as a living practice embedded in culture. Governance must become something we carry within us, not something imposed from the outside. It must be instinctive, not performative. Visible in our daily decisions, not just in our annual reports.
To move in this direction, we must reframe governance as a shared moral infrastructure. One that enables collaboration through trust, not control. One that fosters consistency through shared values, rather than enforced uniformity. This does not mean abandoning structure. Instead, it means ensuring that structure serves something more profound: a collective commitment to act with integrity, to lead with responsibility, and to pursue outcomes that reflect the dignity of those we serve.
This is particularly important in moments of complexity, where stakeholders disagree, uncertainty prevails, and speed threatens reflection. In such moments, it is tempting to reach for rules. But what guides us best is not what is written in policy, but what is embedded in principle. When we initiate any negotiation or decision-making process from a place of shared governance, by reminding ourselves of the ethical foundation we stand on, we create space for clarity, coherence, and mutual respect.
Governance, then, becomes not a mechanism to enforce alignment, but a space where alignment becomes possible.
The opportunity before us is to cultivate this kind of culture where governance is not the responsibility of a department, but the habit of an entire organisation. Where ethics are not an annual conversation, but a daily point of reference. Where leadership is measured not by control, but by the capacity to build systems others trust.
We begin with small steps.
We ask why a rule exists before we enforce it.
We invite reflection before we impose action.
We tell stories not only of success, but of integrity.
And we model, at every level, the values we say we believe in.
This is not quick work. But it is foundational. Because governance, when understood as culture in motion, becomes the invisible architecture that holds us together when the visible systems are tested.
It is in this spirit that I continue to believe: governance is not a code to be applied. It is a set of norms to be embodied. And it is only when we live those norms consistently, sincerely, and in community that we can truly build the resilient institutions and inclusive futures we aspire to lead.
Dr. Ross Rafahël
P.S.: Want to watch the video version of this article? Go to https://www.rossrafahel.com/blog/governance-as-a-cultural-norm-trust-in-motion
