In this study, the author explores research university departments in which there is instructional congruence, or a culture in which individuals perceive that their beliefs about teaching align with their institution because department members have constructed shared understandings of effective teaching and of the value they place on instruction. Also examined are academic units that have a culture of incongruence, in which members feel that they disagree with the organization's and colleagues' stance(s) on teaching. Social network data is used to explain the presence of these two teaching cultures in departments. Finally, the author contextualizes these findings with qualitative data about the organizational and instructional practices that foster network types associated with instructional congruence and incongruence.