DELIVERING SUCCESSFUL CULTURE CHANGE
Making the intangible tangible
The requirement may be to move away from ‘command and control’ towards a more empowered culture, in order to develop organisational agility and responsiveness. Or it may be about moving towards a culture which places a higher importance on customer loyalty, rather than shorter-term cost control and profitability.
Either way, culture change always represents a significant challenge and it’s easy to get it wrong.
What determines culture?
Organisational culture is the product of a complex mix of factors. It is driven by the underpinning shared values and beliefs of the organisation and evidenced through visible signs such as shared behaviours, systems and processes and the legends (stories) that circulate amongst staff.
Many of these factors are complex and intangible. However, together they shape a culture which has a profound effect on an organisation’s ability to achieve its operational and strategic objectives.
Successful culture change
It’s not enough to simply tell everyone what they need to do differently. Successful culture change requires a broader range of interventions, including:
- A clear, shared picture of what the future culture looks like, and a reason to change, outlining what it will achieve for the organisation (a ‘compelling story’)
- A delivery plan which includes a range of aligned changes to structures, processes, skills and metrics, which focus and align ways of working with the future culture
- Visible, ongoing leadership and communication from the top team, aimed at building understanding and support for the future culture from all parts of the organisation
Culture change tools
We have a proven approach which includes tools such as culture surveys, staff and stakeholder focus group formats, change leadership questionnaires, change readiness indicators and communication tools.
We often provide management or leadership development, or team building to support managers and leaders to lead the culture change. This may be supplemented by development programmes focusing on key skills (such as customer-handling skills) required by the future culture.
Our focus is on working with our clients to help them to define their future culture, execute a comprehensive delivery plan and develop engagement across their organisation.
The case studies on this page illustrate our approach in more detail.
CASE STUDIES
