How to Change The Culture of An Organization

In a previous blog post, we explored what makes an organization’s culture and took a deep dive into a multitude of factors that influence its evolution. In a nutshell, organizational culture can be understood as a dynamic system of shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that shape the interactions, decisions, and overall functioning within an organization. It’s a complex interplay, a living entity that influences and is reciprocally influenced by the individuals within the organization.

Keep reading to explore how to change the culture of an organization.

For businesses undergoing transformations – be they evolutionary shifts or revolutionary overhauls – the cultural component of change can often be the most challenging to tackle. In this era of digital transformation, it’s easy to view technology as the primary driver or enabler of change. However, many such initiatives fall short of delivering the desired business outcomes, often due to failures related to people and culture. In other words, they fail to bring their people along on the transformation journey. This reality underscores the critical need for leaders to understand and influence their organizational culture as they seek to drive successful change. Grasping the mechanisms of cultural change – the levers and pulleys of cultural influence – is key to effecting the kind of cultural transformation that supports and propels business goals.

To navigate this challenging terrain, leaders must first understand the key elements that comprise and influence their organizational culture. Each of these elements can serve as a potential lever for cultural change, offering unique opportunities to shape and direct the culture in ways that support broader transformation efforts. These elements include:

• Individual Factors: The unique experiences, beliefs, and personality traits each person brings to the table, shaping their unique contribution to the culture.
• Interpersonal Relationships and Communication: The social fabric that weaves together individuals into a collective, influencing patterns of interaction, communication, and cooperation.
• Leadership: The role of leaders in guiding, shaping, and influencing the cultural trajectory.
• Organizational Structure: The formal and informal structures that shape behaviors, interactions, and power dynamics within the organization.
• Processes: The formal and informal processes that guide how work gets done and how decisions are made.
• Technology: The role of digital tools and platforms in enabling and shaping cultural practices.
• Metrics: The way what gets measured and rewarded shapes behavior and attitudes.
• Ideas: The shared ideas, stories, and narratives that shape collective understanding and behavior.

By thoroughly understanding and thoughtfully engaging with these factors, leaders can cultivate a culture that not only embraces change, but also becomes an active agent in propelling the organization towards its transformational goals.

Cultural change is not an event; it’s a journey. Like any journey, it requires careful planning, the right resources, a clear direction, and a commitment to keep moving forward despite the challenges that may arise. The journey of cultural change is continuous and phased, taking place over time rather than being a one-time intervention.

The process can be broken down into three key stages: preparation, implementation, and long-term sustainment. Each stage requires specific interventions and actions, tailored to the particular needs and characteristics of the organization. But remember, cultural change is not a linear process; it’s cyclical and iterative, requiring ongoing evaluation and adjustment to ensure alignment with evolving business goals and realities.

The first stage in this journey is preparation. This foundational phase is about setting the stage for cultural change, creating the right conditions, and providing the necessary tools for change to take root. The following interventions are key during this phase:

Leadership: Model and Communicate the Desired Culture

Leaders play a pivotal role in any cultural change initiative. During the preparation stage, it is crucial that leaders model the desired cultural traits in their behavior. This means embodying the values and attitudes that the new culture will represent. Additionally, leaders must communicate a clear vision and strategy that reflects the desired culture. This vision serves as a roadmap, guiding everyone in the organization towards our shared cultural destination.

Organizational Structure: Align Structure with the Desired Culture

The structure of an organization often reflects its culture. As part of the preparation for cultural change, it’s important to review roles and responsibilities to ensure they align with the desired culture. This might involve restructuring teams, adjusting reporting lines, or redefining job descriptions to better support the new cultural norms and expectations.

Processes: Align Processes with the Desired Behaviors

Procedures and policies within an organization can greatly influence its culture. To prepare for cultural change, these processes should be reviewed and amended to align with the desired culture. This could involve changing decision-making processes, modifying performance management systems, or updating communication protocols to reflect the values and behaviors of the new culture.

Metrics: Define Metrics to Measure What Matters

Measurement is a powerful tool for driving behavioral change. By defining key performance indicators (KPIs) related to desired cultural traits, you can provide clear, tangible goals that guide individuals towards the new cultural norms. These metrics should be relevant, meaningful, and consistently communicated to all members of the organization.

Ideas: Prepare Minds for the Cultural Shift

Preparing the minds of employees for cultural change is also crucial. This can be achieved by conducting workshops or seminars that explore and reinforce the values and beliefs of the desired culture. Such activities can help employees understand what the new culture will look like, why it’s important, and how it will benefit them and the organization as a whole.

Once the groundwork has been laid, the next stage is to implement the cultural change. This involves putting the plans into action and making the desired culture a reality. During this phase, the focus is on enacting the changes in behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that will shape the new culture. Here are the primary interventions during this phase:

Individual Factors: Implement Individual Goal-setting and Performance Reviews

Aligning individual goals and performance reviews with desired cultural traits is a powerful way to influence behavior. This can involve setting performance metrics that reflect the desired culture, and incorporating cultural fit into performance reviews and promotion decisions.

Interpersonal Relationships and Communication: Facilitate Team-building Activities and Implement Open Communication Policies

Fostering strong interpersonal relationships and open communication is key to cultural change. Facilitate team-building activities to foster connections and trust among team members. Additionally, implement open communication policies to promote transparency and feedback, key elements of a positive and adaptive culture.

Leadership: Establish Leadership Development Programs

Leaders play a critical role in shaping and modeling the desired culture. Establish leadership development programs that emphasize the cultural traits you wish to see across the organization. Inspire leaders to embody these traits in their actions and decisions.

Organizational Structure: Restructure Teams or Departments

Sometimes, influencing culture requires changes to the organizational structure. Restructure teams or departments to better reflect and support the desired culture. Cross-departmental collaboration can be encouraged to break down silos and promote a unified, cohesive culture.

Processes: Implement New Processes

Processes shape behavior in profound ways. Implement new processes that encourage behaviors reflecting the desired culture. This could involve changes to decision-making processes, work flows, or meeting structures.

Technology: Implement Digital Tools

Technology is a powerful enabler of cultural change. Implement digital tools that support desired behaviors. For instance, collaboration tools can foster teamwork and openness, while data analytics can provide insights into the progress of cultural change.

Ideas: Encourage Innovation and Creativity

A culture of innovation and creativity can be a potent competitive advantage. Encourage these traits by establishing ideation platforms or innovation challenges. Recognize and reward innovative ideas to further reinforce this cultural trait.

Implementing cultural change is a complex, iterative process that requires ongoing effort and adaptation. It’s crucial to keep the lines of communication open and to be receptive to feedback as you navigate this journey. Remember, the goal is to create a culture that not only aligns with your strategic objectives, but also resonates with your employees, making your organization a great place to work.

Once the new culture has started to take root, the task becomes sustaining the transformation. This means continuously reinforcing the desired behaviors, values, and attitudes until they become the new norm. Here are the key interventions for this stage:

Individual Factors: Promote Continuous Personal Development

Invest in ongoing learning and development programs that align with the new culture. This helps employees continually refine their skills and behaviors in ways that support the culture. Encourage personal development plans and provide resources to facilitate growth and development in line with the new cultural norms.

Interpersonal Relationships and Communication: Foster a Culture of Open Dialogue

Promote open communication and transparency at all levels of the organization. Regularly check in on how people are adjusting to the new culture. Encourage feedback and open discussions about what’s working and what isn’t. This will not only help individuals feel heard but also provide valuable insights for further refining the culture.

Leadership: Maintain Consistency in Leadership Behavior

Leaders should continue to model the desired culture in their behavior. They should consistently reinforce the cultural values in their communications and decisions. Continual leadership training and coaching can ensure leaders remain aligned with the culture and steadfast in their reinforcement of it.

Organizational Structure: Continually Refine Structures to Support the Culture

As the culture evolves, so should the organizational structure. Regularly review and adjust team structures, roles, and responsibilities to ensure they continue to support and reflect the new culture.

Processes: Regularly Review and Adapt Processes

Processes that supported the old culture may become outdated as the new culture takes hold. Regularly review and adapt these processes to ensure they continue to support the desired behaviors and attitudes.

Technology: Leverage Technology to Reinforce the Culture

Continue to leverage digital tools that support the new culture. Use data analytics to track and measure cultural changes over time. This can provide valuable insights into areas where the culture is strong and areas where further interventions may be needed.

Ideas: Encourage Ongoing Innovation and Creativity

Maintain an environment that encourages ongoing innovation and creativity. Keep ideation platforms or innovation challenges in place, and recognize and reward ideas that reflect the desired culture.

Metrics: Continually Measure and Celebrate Progress

Continue to measure progress towards cultural change using the defined KPIs. Regularly share these results with the organization and celebrate successes. This not only keeps everyone informed about progress but also reinforces the importance of the new culture and motivates continued alignment.

Changing an organization’s culture is not an overnight process. It requires a thoughtful, deliberate, and often challenging voyage of transformation. However, the rewards for this effort can be significant, as a strong, adaptive culture is often a key determinant of business success, especially in a rapidly evolving business environment.

Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed – the culture reflects the realities of people working together everyday.

Frances Hesselbein

In this post, we’ve explored various interventions across different facets of organizational life – including individual factors, interpersonal relationships, leadership, structure, processes, technology, metrics, and ideas – that can be used to shape and influence organizational culture. By understanding these levers and deploying them strategically, leaders can guide their organizations on a successful journey of cultural change.

But understanding the process and interventions needed to change culture is just the first step. The next step involves discovering engaging and impactful ways to propel this transformation. In the next blog post in this series, we will explore how serious business games can be used as a powerful tool to drive cultural change and support organizational transformation. Stay tuned!