Culture by Design: Lessons from Cummins - 2026 Next Practices Weekly

Next Practices Weekly welcomed Marvin Boakye, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Cummins Inc., for a compelling conversation on one of today’s most consequential leadership priorities: intentionally building a culture that accelerates business performance. Boakye shared how Cummins moves culture beyond aspiration by translating organizational values into clear behaviors, leadership expectations, and measurable practices that can be reinforced across the enterprise.

Moderated by i4cp’s Kevin Oakes and Tom Stone, the discussion explored how Cummins brings culture to life through intentional design, leadership role modeling, continuous development, and measurement. Boakye emphasized that culture is ultimately defined by what an organization practices, promotes, and permits - making leadership behavior and accountability critical to ensuring that stated values are reflected in the everyday employee experience.

Key Topics Discussed

• Make Culture Intentional. Cummins defines culture through what an organization practices, promotes, and permits, helping leaders connect stated values to the everyday employee experience.
• Turn Values into Action. Cummins translates its values into clear, memorable behaviors employees can apply in daily decisions and interactions.
• Leaders Bring Culture to Life. Boakye emphasized that leaders must visibly model desired behaviors while demonstrating self-awareness, authenticity, and vulnerability.
• Build Culture Through Continuous Development. Leadership development, coaching, feedback, and leaders-as-teachers practices help reinforce culture throughout the organization.
• Measure What Matters. Cummins uses employee listening, analytics, and leadership accountability to assess culture with the same discipline applied to other business priorities.

For senior Human Capital leaders, the session offered a practical perspective on making culture a true business discipline. From translating values into observable behaviors to equipping leaders to model the culture and using data to assess progress, Cummins provides a powerful example of how HR can connect culture, leadership, talent, and performance. Watch the recording for actionable ideas to strengthen your organization’s culture and ensure it delivers on both your people and business priorities.

Resources Shared

• Change Ready Assessment - Ready to build a stronger, more change-ready culture? Take i4cp’s Change Ready Assessment and receive instant results: Take Assessment
• The AI-Enabled HR Operating Model – Download Executive Brief. Explore i4cp's latest research on how AI is reshaping HR roles, structures, and operating models in future-ready organizations. Access The AI-Enabled HR Operating Model Executive Brief.
• 2027 i4cp Next Practices Now Conference - Stay ahead of emerging HR trends at i4cp's 2027 Next Practices Now Conference, where HR executives gather in a vendor-free environment to gain practical insights and strategies that drive immediate impact. Register today

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.