Connected Culture: The New Science for Thriving Teams and Cultures - Hardcover

by Jamie Shapiro (Author), Ray Dalio (Foreword by)

You can't build what you can't measure--and most culture efforts fail for that very reason.

In a world where "culture" is both a buzzword and a business imperative, Connected Culture delivers something rare: a clear, evidence-based roadmap for building trust, cohesion, and lasting performance across teams and organizations.

Executive coach and organizational psychologist Jamie Shapiro has spent decades working with CEOs--especially in high-stakes, high-pressure public company environments. Her frustration with fragmented initiatives and ineffective frameworks led to the creation of the 5Cs Model of Team Cohesion and Thriving Organizational Culture, developed in partnership with the culture experts at Principles.

Grounded in research and built for real-world leadership, the 5Cs Model helps organizations measure, understand, and improve five essential drivers:

Connection - Trust and wellbeing
Candid Communication - Psychological safety, feedback, and transparency
Clarity - Defined roles, processes, and shared goals
Collaboration - Team support, accountability, and collective excellence
Contribution - Purpose, values, and meaningful impact at work

Together, these five factors account for nearly 80% of culture satisfaction and nearly half of all job satisfaction. With practical tools, team examples, and clear measurement strategies, Connected Culture gives leaders the insight--and the structure--they need to create environments where people thrive and performance follows.

Whether you're taking on a CEO role, rebuilding a senior team, or trying to lead change across a complex organization, this book offers the clarity, language, and framework to guide the way.

Author Biography

JAMIE SHAPIRO, Ph.D. is a master-certified executive coach, organizational psychologist, and the founder and CEO of Connected EC, a coaching and consulting firm dedicated to helping C-suite leaders and their teams thrive. She earned her Ph.D. in positive organizational psychology from Claremont Graduate University and has been developing teams and coaching executives since 1998. Jamie's bestselling debut, Brilliant: Be the Leader Who Shines Brightly Without Burning Out (2020), drew on her personal journey through executive burnout and corporate leadership roles. A frequent speaker and contributor on leadership, culture, and vitality, Jamie blends evidence-based research with practical strategies to help leaders cultivate sustainable performance.