Organizational Culture Change is not Always Easy
Culture change in organizations can be difficult. The truth is that it doesn’t have to be. People want to be part of a positive culture and creating one for your company can lead to a more engaged workforce, strategic agility, and a competitive advantage. The importance of a great company culture can’t be overstated.
Striving for culture change can certainly be a good thing. However, it is essential to differentiate the call for change from actual change. That is, you can call for a culture transformation all you want, however you have not attained anything until your employees’ actions and behaviors actually change.
Of course, this will not happen by the flip of a switch. It will take time. But by putting the right steps in place, your organization can take on a whole new culture.
Culture change is rarely achieved through a top-down mandate. Leadership can require a certain amount of compliance, but that will not impact the hearts and minds of employees. Additionally, simply explaining the need for change won’t be enough. To engage employees, they must buy-in to the change and perhaps feel a sense of responsibility and ownership for it. This is why it is important to involve the employees from the beginning, as people tend to support what they are a part of creating. They do not want something forced upon them, so even the perception of that must be avoided. Involving them makes the change bigger than something personal and ignites their emotions to have them feel that they are a part of something that is moving in the right direction.
Steps for Organizational Culture Change
It is critical to understand the employees and their needs when redefining a culture. Values are very personal and people do not want to be told what values they must hold. Surveys, focus groups, and other data collection activities can be used to gain insights of how employees feel about the current culture and how they would like it to move forward. After the information is collected, management has a wealth of information to use as the foundation to build, tweak, or refresh the culture. The new culture must also align to, and support the overall business strategy.
After reimagining the culture, it is time to define the behaviors that correspond to the new culture. It is easy to say that you want to have a culture built on integrity. However, you must also clearly define the actions and behaviors that demonstrate integrity. This takes the idea of integrity from a sound bite to actionable behavior understood by all employees.
After defining the behavior that supports the culture, it is time to walk the walk. To this point, you’ve talked quite a bit about the importance of a new culture, what it should be, and the behaviors that support it. Now it is time to demonstrate the behaviors and this must start at the top. Senior managers must be models of the new behavior to send a message to the organization that this is for real so that all levels can demonstrate the appropriate behaviors.
Depending on the magnitude of your culture change, it might make sense to use a phase approach to make it happen. For example, for changes that introduce many new values to the organization, it might be best to focus on one value per month. This breaks the new culture and values into more digestible pieces for your employees.
Often, organizational initiatives start out like a blaze of fire and then quickly burn out. By simply continuing to move the ball forward and staying on point, you send an invaluable message to employees about the seriousness of the culture change.
Tips for Organizational Culture Change
There are many other ways that you can help ensure that the culture change lasts, including the following:
Launch event. A launch event, such as a town hall, will set the stage for the culture change process. It tells your employees that this is a serious initiative.
Communicate & Brand. The launch event is the first of many communication touchpoints. Continue to communicate regularly to inform employees and set their expectations through multiple types of media. Also, develop branding for the initiative, such as consistent collateral, symbols, or a project icon. This clearly sets the communications for this initiative apart from all the other communications that your employees receive.
Project Website. Building a project website shows dedication to the project. It also provides employees with easy access to communications, timelines, FAQs, training materials, and any other resources you decide to include.
Train. There needs to be training on the new values and the behaviors that demonstrate them. Depending on the change, the training can take on many different forms. This can range from formal instructor-led training events to reference guides for all employees.
Staged Demonstrations. Have staged demonstrations that exhibit the desired behavior. This can be very effective in helping employees grasp the new behaviors, especially when they are performed by senior managers. These can be done live or they can be recorded and posted to the project website.
Safe Havens. It is important to provide an environment where employees feel free to exhibit the new behaviors. They should feel supported throughout the entire process.
Work it into Projects. Senior management can work with mid-managers to ensure that the new behaviors are worked into actual projects. Not only should the mid-managers make it a point to exhibit the new behavior themselves, but they should also encourage employees to do the same. For example, when a new culture calls for enhanced collaboration, mid-managers can encourage employees to challenge them on ideas and suggest alternatives.
Accountability and Rewards. Publicly recognize employees who are demonstrating the desired behaviors. This can help win over those who are not. Consider going big with your rewards; promotions are not out of the question.
Recruiting and New Hire Orientation. The new behaviors should be incorporated in job roles and job descriptions. They must also be incorporated into recruiting activities. All job candidates should be asked questions to probe into whether or not they are a good fit for the new culture.
Measure. As they say, what gets measured, gets managed. It is essential to measure the effectiveness of the culture and receive feedback. It is important to note that measurement should be an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Use surveys, focus groups, etc. to understand any gaps in desired behavior and actual behavior. You can also look at existing metrics, such as absenteeism, performance, etc. to identify differences.
As the project moves forward, keep in mind that perfect adherence to the new behaviors is not the goal. Consider the new values as a guide. Some employees will resist the change and others will stray from time to time, which is why it is so important to discover where this is happening so it can be corrected. Resistance is real, but understand that it can be a good thing. After discovering and correcting certain incidents of resistance, those corrective measures can be applied elsewhere.
Remember not to overuse authority. It will not help speed your transformation.
Actions to handle any adjustments along the way should be in line with the culture. Work with your employees, do not impose behaviors upon them. Doing so will lead to a strong and positive culture that will stand the test of time. It will help your organization see internal benefits such as increased employee engagement and performance, and increased external benefits such as your company’s brand credibility and customer loyalty.
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