The Importance of Culture Change
Much of my work over the past few years has been working with companies to build an organisational culture that enables and accelerates a change in strategy. Whether these are multi-billion global corporates, or smaller disrupters, the early conversations cover the usual tropes, ‘surely it takes years to change culture’, ‘we are different, it cannot happen here’. Whether this is about gripping operational performance, becoming world class in customer service or embedding engagement habits, I believe there is a consistent approach that can deliver enterprise-wide cultural change generally much quicker than you think.
Ensuring alignment to a new set of habits starts with ensuring C-Suite leadership role-model the new culture. In simple terms, work out what culture you want, and coach leaders to cast the right shadow.
Although each companies’ context is different, I generally recommend several steps to shift organisational culture:
- Be clear what you want to move to and why – This allows you to engage leaders and teams around a case for change.
- Be clear what cultural habits are key to deliver the new strategy – this makes it clear what you want people to do differently and allows you to build coherence into the range of interventions that follow.
- Align and coach the leadership team to role model these habits – Ultimately, leaders cast the greatest shadow and leadership behaviour is copied.
- Work with middle managers to give them the will and skill to consistently apply new habits themselves.
- Reinforce these changed behaviours in your people management systems (recruitment, development, reward, performance management etc.). Celebrate examples of habits that promote the culture you want –hire, promote and reward those who cast the right shadow. Call out, performance manage and ultimately remove those who do not.
In my experience it is important to carry out these steps in sequence and, although each one does not have to be completed before moving to the next step, there must be enough evidence that the previous step is working. Steps 3 and 4 must be carefully sequenced. When senior leaders say one thing and do another, the rest of the organisation will always follow what they see, rather than what they hear.
Shifting culture is hard, but straightforward if done with determination, patience and intentionality. Changing habits requires intensity and frequency (showing high levels of commitment and being prepared to practice repeatedly). Just like a golfer wanting to change his or her swing, it is best done alongside a coach who can support the design of the new habit, and then support the new practice (both through the awkward early days and then helping to embed success).
The most successful companies achieve success by being intentional about the culture they wish to create. Ensuring alignment to a new set of habits starts with ensuring C-Suite leadership role-model the new culture. In simple terms, work out what culture you want, and coach leaders to cast the right shadow.
If you are looking to shift your culture to deliver performance, I would be happy to discuss this further check out my website at alexlewiscoaching.com or contact me on 07993 425755.
