Episode 3 -The Untold Culture Secrets of The All Blacks & Silver Ferns
The Culture 360 Podcast (Ep 3) with Dr Andy Martin highlights two important studies he helped write: Legends in Black and Will to Win.
The Culture 360 Blog & Podcast (Ep 3): The Untold Culture Secrets of The All Blacks and Silver Ferns
When it comes to culture, few people have studied it as deeply as Dr Andy Martin.
A lecturer at Massey University, a former Outward Bound instructor, and co-author of Legends in Black and The Will to Win, Andy has spent years exploring what makes the All Blacks and Silver Ferns two of the most consistently successful teams on the planet.
In our conversation for the Culture 360 Podcast, Andy unpacked the principles behind these world-class cultures — and how any workplace, team, or leader can apply them. To listen to the full podcast on the YouTube channel, click here - The Culture 360 Podcast (Ep 3) The Untold Culture Secrets of The All Blacks & Silver Ferns. Alternatively, click the audio link below to listen or download the episode.
1. Set Great Expectations
“If you set high expectations, that’s what you’ll get. If you set low ones, you’ll get those too.”
Winning starts with standards. The All Blacks don’t play for fourth place — they play to honour the jersey and those who wore it before. Setting great expectations tells people: you belong to something worth striving for.
In business, it’s the same. Aim for gold, not “good enough”.
2. Better People Make Better Teams
From Outward Bound’s mantra “There’s more to you than you think” to the All Blacks’ “Better people make better All Blacks”, Andy’s message is clear - Culture grows when people grow.
Great leaders invest as much in developing character and self-awareness as they do in skill. When individuals improve, so does the team.
3. Live Culture Through Rituals
“Rituals remind everyone: this is who we are, and this is how we do things here.”
Edgar Schein’s classic model of organisational culture reminds us that visible symbols and rituals reflect the deeper values below the surface.
For the All Blacks it’s the haka; for the Silver Ferns, the dress and the fern.
In workplaces, rituals can be smaller — the weekly check-in, shared morning tea, or onboarding ceremony. What matters is consistency and meaning.
4. Diversity Builds Strength — When It’s Embraced
The Silver Ferns’ success stems from embracing diversity — of culture, personality, and life stage.
They have players who are mothers, students, and leaders. Strong teams accept difference and unify around purpose.
As Andy puts it, “We can all be different, but we’re all in this together”.
5. Identity and Legacy Drive Belonging
Wearing the black jersey or silver dress is more than uniform — it’s identity and legacy.
Each player is a temporary custodian, not the owner, of that symbol. Translate that to work: each person inherits and shapes the organisation’s story. The goal? Leave it better than you found it.
6. Culture Is Living, Not Laminated
“Culture isn’t set-and-forget; it evolves with every new person who joins.”
Values on the wall mean little if they’re not lived.
Andy highlights that Outward Bound reduced its nine values to three — simple, memorable, bilingual — to reflect a changing team and country.
The healthiest organisations revisit their values regularly — checking if they still fit the people, purpose, and future.
7. Everyone’s a Leader
Leadership isn’t a job title; it’s a behaviour.
The All Blacks’ “leadership group” approach works because it builds shared ownership.
Great workplaces empower people to lead from wherever they stand — encouraging initiative, honesty, and accountability at every level.
8. Set the Line — and Live Above It
High-performing teams hold each other accountable.
At St Helens Rugby League, players used a “line of courage”: every action was judged above or below the line.
That same principle strengthens workplace culture. It builds a language of accountability that says, we’re responsible for the standard we walk past.
9. People First, Always
“Culture is about people. That’s what it’s all about.”
When asked to finish the sentence “Culture is…”, Andy didn’t hesitate:
“Culture is about people. That’s what it’s all about”.
Behind every policy, process, or KPI lies one truth — relationships drive results.
People are the culture.