How to Change a Culture Quickly
I was talking to a senior executive who told me, “It takes 7 years to change a culture and I don’t even intend to be here that long.” His statement reflected the culture of the company – short-term fixes, no commitment and focus on numbers over people. What I told him blew him away. “I can change the culture within 6 months.” I said. “Not only that, I have the instrument to prove it.” I told him about the Tetrahedron Culture Instrument and how it measured culture from a number of angles. “Okay,” he smirked, “then how can you change the culture in such a short time.” Here is how.
1. Start at the top
What are the values of the organization? What are your goals and the strategy to get there? The first place is a strategic planning session that aligns with the values and ethics (and yes, they are different but more on that later) of the organization.
2. Look at the rewards
The fastest way to change a culture is to change the rewards structure of the organization. People respond to how they are punished or rewarded. Do rewards, including compensation, recognition and promotion, aligned to both the values of the organization and the goal/metrics? If you reward people who “hit their numbers” even in conflict of the organization’s values, you may do well in the short term but the long term sustainability and values of the organization will be undermined. Recognition for good things is more motivating than punishments for bad. People who are rewarded are engaged to achieve. People who are punished are disengaged and hide.
3. Communicate and train
Coaching and mentoring are very important. Great leaders create more leaders. They help their people develop the skills they need to succeed and recognize their strengths. Often intuitively they use the Appreciate Inquiry model and focus on strengths and solutions rather than weaknesses and problems.
When it is all done, you measure the before and after and, within a short period, you will start to see a significant shift in the culture.
