How do you get everyone on board with culture change?

Redefining culture does start with problems, but everyone’s definition of the problems are different. Gathering feedback from all stakeholders, which includes the leadership, the teams, AND the customers, shareholders, and investors is the best starting point. Gathering those views and making sure everyone is heard is the only way forward on a journey like this. How do you know you have a culture problem in the first place? You might be seeing for example hear or see the customer support team say or do something different to the sales team. There may be ‘in fighting’ among teams, or unhealthy competition. One of the biggest tell tale signs is when you see it in your customers feedback, and customers then walk to your competitors.

Standard ‘change curve’ stuff. To prevent shock, denial, anxiety, fear,anger etc, ensure your plans are well communicated. Getting buy-in for change is crucial because it fosters a sense of ownership and commitment among stakeholders, aligning them with the organisational goals. It reduces resistance, enhances collaboration, and increases the likelihood of successful implementation by ensuring everyone is on board and understands the rationale behind the change.

I always say "change on the way up, not on the way down" and this is imperative in todays fast-paced business world. Companies need to be constantly adapting and evolving, and this starts from within, from their culture. Ask yourself what your current culture looks like, and what you think a successful culture looks like - and why it's successful to you. You can then work out what needs to be put in place, and what hurdles may arise, on your journey to get there.

To initiate a culture change project successfully, it's crucial to articulate the rationale behind it. Clearly define the necessity and benefits of the change by identifying the problem it addresses, the opportunity it seizes, or the value it adds. Ensure this aligns with the organization's mission, vision, and goals, highlighting the positive impact on customers, employees, and stakeholders. Communicating these points effectively will foster understanding and buy-in from your team and the entire organization. This clarity and alignment are key to gaining widespread support and commitment to the cultural transformation.

Culture change is a complex phenomenon. You won't get everyone on board right away. And that's okay. But you must look for ways to involve various stakeholders who are impacted by the change. Why? Change shouldn't be a surprise. It should be intentional, with an outcome of improving employee relationships.

Involve stakeholders as much as they are willing to. The sooner you involve them in the process, the more they can help shape the initiative. The more the change project is ´theirs´, me more they will support and help you execute.

Involve all stakeholders who are crucial for succeeding your employer branding project. With an active involvement & commitment of top management, the project is boosted internally and the project owner gets an official mandate. Involvement of the working council from the very beginning prevents from the project stucking right in the middle, because of interference at a point, when surveys are planned. Involvement of Marketing & Corpcomm helps to transfer from strategy into practice and supports spreading the message into the company and teams. Involvement should happen across all areas, al departments, all hierarchies. It is an offer that can be accepted or ignored by the stakeholders. But at least, it has to be offered.

I'd also suggest facilitating workshops on the systemic issues that the culture has become. Systems thinking workshops can determine the "why" from the employees and interested parties to look at the culture and blockers as a whole.

Mais do que buscar opiniões, temos que preparar as partes interessadas que podem nos apoiar como patrocinadores durante uma mudança. A última Pesquisa de Melhores Práticas conduzida pela PROSCI, mostra que as organizações não prepararam adequadamente os patrocinadores com as habilidades necessárias para liderar durante a mudança. Por isso, eu indico que seja realizada uma cerimônia de Gestão de Mudanças no início do projeto, destacando o que é pretendido alcançar e como os colaboradores serão apoiados neste projeto, enfatizando o plano de comunicação, capacitação, patrocínio e canais de suporte. Criar rituais para compartilhar periodicamente os resultados alcançados e ações de reforço, será importante para mantê-los na mesma página.

It is very important that the stakeholders realize what is in it for them as individuals and the team results with the culture change transition. Unlike an agile methodology, this is not a process change so the trust or buy in of the stakeholders cannot be easily acquired.

After establishing the rationale and involving stakeholders, it’s essential to clearly communicate the specifics of the culture change. Detail the exact changes to be made and the methods for implementing them. Outline the expected results and benefits, and explain how progress will be measured. Define the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder, and provide the necessary support for them. Use multiple channels and formats to ensure consistent and clear communication, addressing any questions or concerns promptly. This comprehensive approach ensures everyone understands their part in the process and the overall objectives, enhancing engagement and commitment.

Before focusing on the what and how like the article suggests, make sure everyone is aligned on the why first. Once the urgency is communicated, you can talk about expectations. Bring in the what and the how and make sure you´re aligned in execution.

I believe that the central premise for a Change Culture endeavor is for each employee to exhibit their core values through motivation and inspiration. To bring forward social behavior to an impressionistic level in each individual and execute ethical behaviors of valor, solely through stimulated acts of encouragement and inspired reinforcement. Provide motivational tools to lead employees at a level that can supplement the reinforcements with self-sustaining core values and virtues as their own inspirational motivator.

I love Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones' toolkit on the characteristics of white supremacy. One thing they recommend to counteract the sense of urgency and focus on results and perfectionism is focusing on the process and the journey and not just the end results.

Most organizations lay out lofty goals. They monitor progress. They review lessons learned. But then they forget to celebrate wins. That is so demotivating for a team.

I have learned that the idea of a reward will result in a selection of actions that lead towards the greatest rewards and the motivation to carry out these ambitions. The compatibility of belief is a central thought accountable for numerous explanations of influence. Rewards, cumulated with experience, interweave with social interactions and interpersonal relationships, hence; seeking social outcome values, such as praise and recognition. From these interactions and personal relationships, experiences are evaluated and ascertained. The principle is an anchor point where congruency is rewarding and attractive, and negative conformity produces disdain attitudes.

A Gestão de Mudanças tem um objetivo importante e primário: aumentar a probabilidade de que o estado futuro das organizações seja atingido e que os resultados associados (objetivos da mudança) sejam alcançados. Ou seja, você quer fazer com que todos participem da mudança de cultura? Mostre resultados e destaque que está no caminho desejado. Mais do que ler sobre a mudança, as pessoas querem ver a mudança acontecendo. Celebrar resultados, por menores que sejam, engaja os colaboradores, transformam detratores em promotores e reforçam o seu compromisso com a mudança estabelecida.

Keep conversation flowing, especially with key stakeholders. Have regular catch-ups, find ways to reach people that are not directly involved but affected, and be available to everyone. Have regular meetings with stakeholders where you look at the original objectives, and how you are progressing. Use the feedback to change course when necessary.

Culture change is an ongoing process requiring continuous learning and adaptation. Regularly monitor and evaluate the impact and outcomes of your initiatives, learning from both successes and failures. Actively solicit and listen to feedback and suggestions from your team and organization to refine and adjust strategies and actions. Stay attuned to the evolving needs and expectations of customers, employees, and stakeholders, ensuring that your approach remains relevant and effective. This iterative process of learning and adapting helps sustain momentum and fosters a resilient, responsive organizational culture.

This is THE most important part in any culture change. If you don´t walk the talk, nobody is going to follow your lead. Make sure that you show integrity, that people can trust you, and that you actively listen to people. Culture change is bottom-up and shared with others, not top-down like most corporate projects.

The most compelling example I've witnessed is when leaders are transparent about their mistakes. While it's crucial for leaders to embody and demonstrate the right behaviours, it's equally important to acknowledge when they fall short. In a safety culture programme I led within the transport industry, one leader took an extraordinary step by resigning after admitting to taking a hands-free conference call while driving. This is indeed an extreme case, but it underscores the importance of fostering an environment of psychological safety where everyone feels comfortable admitting their mistakes. By doing so, we can use these moments as powerful lessons to drive more positive and enduring culture change.

By practicing Authentic Leadership, you would emphasize positive and ethical values for your team, virtues of empathy, integrity, honesty, accountability, and transparency create a genuine persona of your ability to lead. Establish honest relationships will inspire trust.

Contar com a liderança como patrocinadores de uma mudança cultural é crucial. Líderes competentes contribuem com a estratégia e oferecem direção e orientação. Por isso, para fazer com que todos participem de uma mudança, considere utilizar a voz de líderes influentes nas comunicações de sua campanha interna. Porém, atente-se a o que quer alcançar utilizando a liderança como porta-voz da mudança. Afinal, pesquisas fornecidas pela PROSCI mostram que para assuntos organizacionais, deve-se utilizar CEO e outros executivos da Alta Liderança. Agora para assuntos que impactam a operação, utilizar a voz de supervisores e líderes imediatos é o caminho mais adequado para garantir o engajamento da audiência.

Evaluate the progress and whether the actions in place are really driving towards the type of culture you need. In a lot of times we lose track of time with a little progress. Set quarterly check ins to see where you’re heading and assign change agents from your leaders and employees to drive this change with you.

Give them purpose. It doesn't have to be something elaborate or even fantastical. It just needs to be meaningful for them. If you give a penny, then they receive a penny; but why you gave the penny can make that penny priceless.

The often overlooked role of analytics in HR transformation is a crucial aspect, sometimes met with skepticism from HR professionals. The significance of analytics and data in transformation processes is underappreciated. Measuring the impact of change initiatives is essential for successful pilot projects and convincing the organization of process efficacy.Tools like Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) prove effective, shifting focus from "what" to "how" (Wasserman & Faust, 1994; Cross & Parker, 2004). SNA and ONA unveil hidden patterns and relationships, providing insights into communication, collaboration, and decision-making dynamics (Krackhardt & Stern, 1988; Borgatti & Foster, 2003).