6 Lessons from Culture Change

Often what we think of as organisational change is, in reality, culture change. I’ve worked on everything from group-wide global cultural transformations to specific shifts in ways of working for a particular team, and here’s 6 lessons I’ve noticed along the way:

Lesson 1: Leaders are often the problem

Most traditional Change Managers try to deliver leader-led change. And while “people are 9x more likely to adopt a change when their direct manager discusses it with them” (Larkin 2006), the truth is most managers are not great leaders and do not role model the change. They expect everyone else to change - including their own teams and peers - but feel they themselves are exempt. A big reason for this is that most managers are promoted to their leadership position not because of a burning desire to be a great people leader and inspire and empower teams, but because of what I call the 3 T’s: 

1. Tenure (they’ve been there a long time)
2. Technical skill (they know some stuff), and 
3. Nepotism (they know someone, which doesn’t start with a T but has a T in it). 

It’s not leaders’ fault that they are so resistant to change and often offer lip service support at best. Most haven’t been given good leadership training, they are swamped in administration, and the higher they rise, the more risk they wear and the more precarious their role is in the politics of the company. Regardless, when some of the worst behaved are the Board, C-Suite, Executives and Senior Leadership team, trying to do leader-led cultural change is like trying to push water up a hill (and ironically, lower-level teams may be the people most excited and willing to change because it’s going to improve their day-to-day tasks). You need a different approach than just appealing to their formal position as leaders and their responsibility to role model, advocate and support their team through change. This could include Executive Coaching that digs deep (such as by the coach using Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques), actually providing change leadership training (like my Leading Successful Change program), and helping them to better direct, delegate, measure and performance manage their team (hint: start these WELL before the change itself!).

Lesson 2: Culture is not the same everywhere

Within an organisation and even within a division, department or team, you’ll find pockets that are high-performing, positive, collaborative and open, and pockets that are challenging, critical, secretive and closed. This is exacerbated when a change crosses country borders, but even between cities and within a single site there can be big differences in how people think and feel about, approach, and adopt change. This is why a bottom-up approach can be so powerful. Rather than just going broad-brush and top-down, inviting all teams to articulate and build their culture from the bottom and having that roll up to each level can create what I call “Through the Line” change (the magic happens where the two approaches meet in the middle).

Lesson 3: Culture can be used as a catch-all for politics

I’ve worked in companies where not fitting into a culture was used as a way to attack and denigrate someone and keep them from achieving and progressing in their role and the company. Caution really needs to be used when throwing around the word “culture” - like any tool, it can be used for good or used for nefarious purposes. Be warned!

Lesson 4: Culture and ways of working go hand-in-hand

I think culture is often seen as some lofty, highfalutin ideal but the truth is it plays out in the everyday ways of working and in a symbiotic cycle, the ways of working create the true (not touted) organisational culture. This can be things like patterns and norms around working habits, collaboration, communication, work breakdown, meeting rhythms, feedback channels, openness to new ideas and approaches, and more. Culture isn’t what’s on the wall, it’s what’s lived everyday in what people say, do, think, and feel. And yes this extends to externals like customers, clients, and community.

Lesson 5: Culture change should sit in Strategy & Transformation, not Human Resources

Controversial, I know! But while I love partnering with HR and it’s often the reporting line for many Change teams and individuals, many HR teams simply aren’t equipped to properly own and change culture. Similar to the predicament many leaders face, too many HR teams are bogged down with administration, with hiring and firing, with payroll and policies. And that’s the right thing. Even though it’s called Human Resources or People & Culture, much of a HR function’s role is to reduce risk to the **company** and they usually aren’t given the freedom or budget or have the skills, experience, mindset and behaviours to properly drive and lead a strategic cultural transformation. And in dire cases, HR can be the worst offenders of poor behaviour (which can sometimes stem from the personality types attracted to the field). Cultural change should go hand-in-hand with the future strategy of the organisation, so having it sit in a Strategy and/or Transformation division may encourage better blue sky thinking, delivery and follow-through. And much like leaders: give HR teams the proper training, support and budget to be the strategic champions of culture and change they should be and hold them accountable.

Lesson 6: Red socks are the fastest way to destroy trust

It was at a HR Conference before COVID that I first heard the term “red sock”, as in: one red sock thrown in with the whites ruins the wash. And it’s true. So often culture in a team, department or organisation is being eroded because of one red sock poorly-behaved employee who is allowed to get away with murder. Sometimes it’s the three T’s again - they’ve been there a long time, they have an indispensable skillset, or they are buddies with someone in high places. Other times they are a high performer, have influence and sway among peers or subordinates, or are even just a squeaky wheel not delivering value. And they can be at any level of the organisation - from CEO to front-line worker. But the thing is: every time that employee is permitted to behave poorly, it sends a clear message to the other members of the team and organisation that they cannot trust their leaders or company to protect them, their hard work, or their psychological safety. The best and bravest people leave first, the work horses stay and burn out, and the meek often follow suit of the red sock, further wearing down positive culture. Lots can be done with small high-performing teams (in fact, some of the biggest and best projects I’ve worked on have achieved incredible change with small teams of highly-skilled and passionate people). And no one is indispensable. The cost of performance management is usually way less than the cost of employee churn, workers compensation, and poorly behaved, poorly performing teams. It goes back to No. 1 - arm and armour your leaders with the personal and professional skills to manage people and lead change. 

So they are my 6 biggest lessons from culture change. 

If you’re looking to lead this kind of change for your projects, teams or clients, come along to my first-ever in-person VIP Day in Sydney on Wednesday 30 April. This advanced-level change leadership training on “How to Run a Consultant-Style Future State Workshop” has just 7 spots available. 

Find out more and book your place for my in-person Sydney VIP Day here >> 

Lata xx

P.S. My "How to Run a Consultant-Style Future State Workshop" VIP Day will be held in-person in Sydney on Wednesday 30 April. If you can't join us live in-person on that date or location, all good! My Leading Successful Change program has just reopened to new students so you can find out more and join the course instantly from anywhere across the globe.