What is the gap in the current body of knowledge we need to address?
Tips for incorporating changes into the culture
- Cultural change comes last, not first
- You must be able to prove that the new way is superior to the old
- The success must be visible and well communicated
- You must reinforce new norms and values with incentives and rewards – including promotions
- Reinforce the culture with every new employee
Two factors are particularly important in anchoring new approaches in an organization'sculture. The first is a conscious attempt to show people how specific behaviorsand attitudes have helped improve performance. When people are left on their own to make the connections, as is often the case, they can easily create inaccurate links.
Anchoring change also requires that sufficient time be taken to ensure that the next generation of management really does personify the new approach. If promotion criteria are not reshaped, another common error, transformations rarely last. One bad succession decision at the top of an organization can undermine a decade of hard work.
Finally, anchoring change in the culture may require employee and managerial turnover or reassignment to remove individuals who are barriers to progress. With the evidence of the value of the change effort now so apparent to the organization, it is unlikely that those who are still resisting the change will actually alter their ways. Turnover or reassignment is an unfortunate result but sometimes it is needed if senior leadership wants to ensure that “the changes stick” in the organization.