Why Culture Matters More Than You Think
Cybersecurity improvements will only succeed when supported by an organisational culture that genuinely encourages and enables these changes. It’s not enough to implement the latest security tools or update your policies if the people you work with don’t understand, value, or feel empowered to engage with cybersecurity, you’re building on shaky foundations.
The NCSC defines cybersecurity culture as “the collective understanding of what is normal and valued in the workplace concerning cybersecurity. It sets expectations on behaviour and relationships, influencing people’s ability for collaboration, trust, and learning.”
This definition highlights a crucial point: cybersecurity culture isn’t just about following rules, it’s about creating an environment where secure behaviours naturally flourish.
The Six Pillars of Cybersecurity Culture
- Frame Cybersecurity as an Enabler, Not a Barrier
Too often, cybersecurity is perceived as the department that says “no”, the team that blocks progress and slows down business operations. The NCSC’s first principle challenges this narrative entirely.
Cybersecurity exists to protect the technology and information that underpin your organisation’s core functions. When positioned correctly, security measures enable business success rather than hinder it.
Goals:
- Employees understand how cybersecurity keeps their vital systems functioning
- Security policies support, rather than obstruct, day-to-day work
- Teams collaborate to create security measures that fit real-world workflows
- Build A Zero-Blame Environment to Enable Safety, Trust, and Processes for Open Communication
A zero-blame environment is fundamental to effective cybersecurity. People need to feel secure enough to ask questions, report concerns, and admit mistakes without fear of punishment or humiliation.
Even with excellent training, no one has perfect knowledge. When people fear negative consequences, they retreat into self-preserving behaviours that can actually increase security risks.
In short, blame the problem and not the person.
Goals:
- Quick, accessible routes for reporting security issues
- Incident investigations focused on learning, not blame
- Recognition and feedback for those who speak up
- Embrace Change to Manage New Threats and Opportunities
The cybersecurity landscape never stands still, and neither should your organisation’s approach to it. This principle emphasises the importance of adaptability and continuous improvement.
Maintaining the status quo might feel safer, but it leaves organisations vulnerable to evolving threats and missed opportunities for improvement.
Goals:
- A positive organisational attitude towards necessary change
- Well-considered decisions that minimise change fatigue
- Collaborative approaches to managing new risks and opportunities
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- Ensure Social Norms Promote Secure Behaviours
Every workplace has social norms that people unconsciously follow to feel like they belong. These informal expectations can either support or undermine your formal security policies.
Simply telling people to ignore unhelpful social norms rarely works. You need to understand the underlying values and work with them, not against them.
Goals:
- Identify both positive and negative security-related social norms
- Address conflicts between helpful social norms and security requirements
- Leverage positive norms to reinforce secure behaviours
- Leaders Must Take Responsibility for Security Culture
Leadership influence on cybersecurity culture cannot be overstated. Leaders at all levels set the tone through their actions, decisions, and communications.
When trusted leaders model secure behaviours and communicate the importance of cybersecurity, they amplify key messages and facilitate policy adoption throughout the organisation.
Goals:
- Role-modelling secure behaviours consistently
- Understanding and communicating how cybersecurity enables their business area
- Promoting psychological safety and learning through their actions
- Using incentives to encourage positive security behaviours
- Provide Clear, Accessible, and Well-Maintained Security Guidelines
The final principle addresses a common organisational challenge: creating security rules that are both effective and usable.
The balance: Rules need to be specific enough to provide clear guidance while remaining flexible enough to accommodate different working styles and evolving circumstances.
Goals:
- Regular testing and review of all security rules
- Inclusive design that considers diverse user needs
- Clear distinction between mandatory rules and advisory guidelines
- Robust feedback mechanisms for continuous improvement
Actionable Changes to improve your company’s Cyber Security culture.
The NCSC’s Cybersecurity Culture Principles provide a robust framework for transforming how your organisation approaches cybersecurity. But principles alone won’t create change; they require commitment, leadership, and sustained effort to implement effectively.
- Establish “Zero-Blame” Incident Reporting: Create a simple online form or a dedicated email address for reporting security concerns with a clear statement that mistakes will be treated as learning opportunities, not disciplinary issues.
- Redesign Security Policies for Real-World Use: Review your most bypassed policies and collaborate with end-users to understand why. Redesign these policies to work with existing workflows rather than against them.
- Create Security Impact Statements: For every new security policy or procedure, include a clear explanation of how it supports business objectives and protects what matters most to the organisation.
- Develop Scenario-Based Training: Replace generic security training with realistic scenarios specific to each department’s work. Sales teams need different security awareness than finance teams.
- Implement “Secure by Default” Design Thinking: Require all new systems and processes to consider security implications from the outset, involving security teams as enablers rather than gatekeepers.
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