Culture Transformation in the Workplace
In the course of our work we see many failed transformation attempts. A high proportion fail for cultural reasons.
And that’s a significant challenge because unlike processes and system transformation, where the change required is primarily around physical implementation, culture is 100% about people.
The sure-fire number one reason cultural change fails? - “Ah, It’s how things have always been done around here.” - Says Everyone
Changing a culture is probably the most difficult of all change strategies. Changing processes and systems requires behavioural change, which does affect the culture, but changing an enterprise culture involves literally everything and everyone.
We coined an expression several years ago.
To change the way we work we have to change the way we think.
In the context of cultural change that means how we think about everything. And it starts with the leadership. If leaders don’t alter their attitudes and priorities in line with both how the world has changed and towards the culture they want then nothing will change.
There’s a long list of things that affect culture.
Amongst them -
The attitude and mindset of the leaders
The decisions that are made and the results of them as felt directly by the people
How people are motivated and rewarded
The investment by leaders in the health and well-being of the people
The degree of trust and empowerment bestowed upon the workforce.
Although a short-list it’s the tip of a challenging iceberg. Each one complex, entrenched and often highly entangled - established over many years.
On The Path To Cultural Transformation
If you have recently identified a need for cultural transformation in the workplace, you may be wondering where and how to begin the process.
Firstly, are you clear about which culture your company currently operates within? Once you've gained clarity about your current culture, it will be far easier to identify and move towards a more desired cultural framework. But how do you make that shift happen?
In the following guide, we'll help you to clarify your company's current culture and give you some tips for initiating and driving the transformation towards a culture that suits your organization.
How to Identify Your Workplace Culture
There are a few key indicators to consider when seeking to understand your current company culture.
How are decisions made?
Who has input in your company's decision-making processes, and how easy is it for all employees to express opinions and share ideas?
What are your company’s core values and how do employees relate to them? Do they understand what they are? Do they feel a connection to them?
What are the day-to-day working practices of employees? How does a typical day look for most employees in terms of structure, autonomy, communication, location, attitude, systems, behavioral norms, approaches, who they report to, and how this reporting happens?
How do employees relate to each other? Is there a climate of collaboration, camaraderie, and peaceful co-existence, or is there an atmosphere of stress, competition, and striving to win at all costs?
What is the attitude of the leader or leadership team?
Is there a clear leader or is the company run by a team effort, with equal commitment offered by all individuals and teams?
How to Drive Culture Change in an Organization
Once you have identified the culture of your organization, there are a few steps you can take to drive transformation.
Connect with your employees to find out what they like about the current culture. Get their opinions on what works and what doesn’t, in terms of their working practices and preferences. What makes them feel most productive and effective?
If you have a leadership team, communicate with them about what you’ve discovered and why you believe change is necessary. Work together to sketch out a transformation plan. Review how it might take shape and what impact this change could have on productivity, success, and the accomplishment of the company’s wider goals.
Make sure you and your leadership team are fully embracing the change. Knowing that you have a broad understanding of the thoughts and wishes of your teams makes it easier to begin the transformation process from an informed base.
Once you are clear that you’re moving in the right direction, begin modelling the new behaviors, practices, roles, or attitudes that align with the new culture as you seek to inspire your employees.
Begin using tools and resources that will help to ease your teams through the transition into the desired culture. As much as possible, try to make the process of shifting fun and inclusive. It will also help if the process matches the new culture you wish to adopt.
For example, if you wish to move from a hierarchical culture to an adhocracy, you might ask your departments to organize a series of collaborative brainstorming sessions between all team members to find out how everyone works best and what they think it would take to make them more effective contributors.
Culture Transformation in Practice
What if, for example, you wish to move from an adhocracy towards a clan culture? You might begin by asking your team leaders to arrange a series of informal initiatives. For example, introducing relaxed dressing in the workplace, having the occasional potluck lunch, summer picnic, or organizing fun team-building trips.
As you move towards the new culture, cultivate a practice of continually asking yourself which behaviors belong to the old culture and which belong to the new.
You could ask your teams to organize a few informal pow-pow sessions in which you ask each team member to bring one idea that they believe would improve current working practices.
Be aware that this may take some employees by surprise. They may have been perfectly happy working in a barely visible department (think IT Crowd) and be overwhelmed by the sudden request for extreme visibility. When organizing more extrovert group activities, it's important to bear in mind that all families (clans) are made up of a mixture of types, temperaments, and varying social skills.
To ensure employee engagement, go slowly and allow each team member to share in their unique way. Offer sharing options - share in person, share on paper, or simply be present. Transformation requires attention to detail and a carefully considered and inclusive strategy.
Fostering the Purpose-Driven Workforce
Let's say you wanted to move from a market culture, in which the focus was on competition, towards a more purpose-driven culture. You would, once again, start by finding out how your teams feel about your current company culture.
Are there some who enjoy the adrenaline rush of a high-stress market culture? Are there others who would prefer to feel that their work has greater meaning?
Share your thoughts about what matters to you as a leader and why you believe a shift in focus would be better for staff, better for the business, better for you, and more beneficial to the world.
As the transformation progresses, if senior management is modeling the new culture and sharing news of how the organization is fulfilling its greater purpose, employees will feel more engaged and have a greater understanding of why their work matters and how a cultural shift could improve their workplace experience.
In many cases, where low productivity was previously a problem, staff teams may become more engaged as they strive towards a common purpose. Rather than competing between themselves, they may begin to experience a strongly motivating sense of uniting to serve a common purpose.
Why Culture Transformation Matters to Your Employees
Employee experience is a major factor in determining the success of your current business culture. If employees see themselves as meaningless cogs within an overwhelming system of wheels within wheels, there's a disconnect that needs to be addressed. Previous generations might have stoically endured unpleasant working environments for decades, just waiting for the gold watch moment and an opportunity to finally exhale. Millennials and Gen Zers have much higher expectations.
Where previous generations may have only dreamed of changing the world, they are on a mission to action that change, and, quite often, they start with the workplace. Be aware when explaining your desired results to your employees, that they will quickly disengage if they feel they are not being taken seriously.
Of course, these are huge generalizations, but there is no doubt that workplace culture, as a whole, has altered significantly in recent years. The fact that we now openly discuss the concept of workplace culture, within the workplace, is a testament to that fact.
The long-term success of your transformation efforts may depend on how effectively you are able to listen to and engage your team members. When they understand the benefits of the change, they are more likely to feel included.
When employees feel that their work and their opinions matter in the grand scheme of things, they tend to care more about the company, the work it does, and the work they do as individuals on a day-to-day basis. Ultimately, this will not only improve their workplace environment, it will also have a greater impact on their ability to be happy at work, deliver great customer service and improve in key performance areas.
Call in the Professionals
If your efforts to transform the culture of your organization are not quite bringing the shift you had envisioned, you might want to work with a professional business strategist who will help you to connect the dots and implement the necessary transformation steps.
