BUSINESS RESEARCH

Culture Change Management

Culture is the most enduring feature of any organisation – it is an intangible expression of all the shared values, beliefs, and norms that define the ways organisations behave and get things done. Despite organisations’ constant efforts to reinvent and reinvigorate, culture is invariably one of the most difficult types of change. Two of the most respected commentators on organisational change, Michael Beer and Nitin Nohria, claimed that about two-thirds of change initiatives fail.

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August 2012

Even when non-cultural changes fail, executives tend to blame culture. Most cultures are too entrenched, and most mind-sets too inert – the key is not to fight culture, but to work with it and within it. Focus on steady cultural “evolution”, not revolution:

1. Match strategy to culture: Top-down strategies are frequently at odds with culture because they evoke change, but culture is innately resistant to intervention. “Culture trumps strategy every time” – even the most brilliant of plans must align with existing beliefs and behaviours.

2. Focus on a few critical shifts in behaviour: Start with small, widely recognised changes; select your battles wisely.

3. Honour the strengths of the existing culture: Every culture arises from good intentions; find the strengths and positives and share stories of why people believe in them.

4. Integrate formal and informal interventions: Don’t just force new rules and processes; identify “influencers” who can champion change and bring other employees along. Influencers will fight key battles when organisational politics threaten progressive cultural change.

5. Measure and monitor cultural evolution: Otherwise you can’t identify backsliding or get back on course. Involve employees in choosing milestones – what does real change look like for those whom you want to influence?

Referenced techniques

Technique

Change Agents

Irrespective of the magnitude of a change that takes place within an organisation, there needs to be a change agent. Learn about the roles and attributes that change agents can adopt and consider the case study evidence and practical application steps provided.

Technique

Change Management

Planned change management allows managers and practitioners to incorporate specific tasks and events into each stage of the change process. The concept explores how to face highly dynamic and complex environments and how to make the most of an organisational change.

Technique

Change Leadership

The concept explains why successful and sustainable organisational improvements depend on effective change leaders who know how to create and disseminate a vision, overcome resistance to change and manage conflict. The concept provides examples that illustrate how change leadership has been successfully used in the industry.

Technique

Transformational Change

The concept presents empirical evidence on the evolving role of transformational change and case study evidence of such changes within organisations.

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