Here's how you can navigate the potential challenges of leading a culture change.

I’ve been working a lot recently with businesses stuck with what I’m calling an entitlement culture. One where employees expect rather than earn certain incentives and recognition. They key shift needed is to new thinking pattern of earned rewards - by this I mean one of accountability, purpose and profit - and to achieve this it starts with the owner/leader adopting the ‘ownership thinking’ culture then educating their team similarly. These companies nearly always outperform peers that don’t embrace ownership thinking.

Fieldwork: Go into your organisation and experience first-hand what it's like (as a customer, employee, student etc.) Within Cultural Anthropology, we call this experiencing the Emic perspective: how do insiders actually talk about and experience their own culture? You can become aware of cultural and behavioral patterns if you go on a field trip. Try to look at the organization afresh. If you want to train yourself in this skill, go to a nearby train-station, take 2 hours to just have a cup of coffee and have a look at people. Write 5-10 pages in your notebook about what you experience.

Its extremely crucial to communicate the vision of the organisation /team at the very outset . understanding the culture/shared values is necessary to navigate the change in cultural landscape. Also need to indentify /decide the key influencers /contribuors , who will drive the change in culture within the dynamic work situations , so that there is no imbalance created anywhere within the organisation/system .

Culture shifts consistently. In the digital age now faster than ever company cultures are emerging to next levels as the we all have access to social media and can exchange ideas, reviews and contribute to impacting change. those platforms ave given us all a voice and ability to contribute to changing the status quo.

This is probably one of the biggest mistakes that new leaders can make when coming into an organisation or department. From this perspective, the culture changes that need to be made can seem obvious, and the leader can forge ahead, without truly understanding those beliefs, values, and norms that are interrelated with that culture. It is far better to wait, to get to know staff, stakeholders, and customers. To understand the conditions on the frontline. To treat employees with respect, and listen to their views. To create psychological safety and trust. Doing that gives a much clearer picture of what lies beneath the existing culture, and can ensure that you bring people with you through the change - rather than facing resistance.

This 'Assess Readiness' may seem logical, but it may actually not be if there is no crisis-situation (financially or otherwise). This is why: Cultures are both changing constantly, and resistant to change. And rightfully so: We humans create culture so that we know what to expect from the people around us. Imagine you would ask a person the same question (just try and walk up to a friend): "Are you ready for transformation?". See what response you get XD. "Deep changes in the way people think, what they believe, how they see the world and how they behave require a dedicated mix of interventions that fits the context of the organization and the purpose of the change process" (Jaap Boersema)

Understanding your organisations readiness is crucial for aligning strategies and resources effectively during cultural change. It also allows leaders to tailor approaches better to the interests/demands of the organisation and create an environment where success can thrive.

I confess that early on in my leadership career this was the step that I got wrong. I had come from a fast paced corporate environment into the more traditional mindset of a public sector organisation. I didn't appreciate the difference in readiness for change between the two environments, so ruffled feathers, and faced a lot of resistance. The change was right, and needed to happen, yet the people weren't ready for it. It was a valuable lesson, as from then on I (mostly) took a far more co-creative approach, working with managers and teams to help them lead themselves into the change. This massively increased engagement and buy-in. Plus I got far fewer angry emails...

Champions, or ambassadors as I've also called them, are a valuable community for any culture change process. Not only to embed it into your organisation, but to ensure that the process of culture change itself is engaged with by the wider business. Responsibility for this doesn't sit in one team or in silo, whilst it my be led from one, and champions will generate excitement, identify challenges and build buy-in and trust. They act as a channel for feedback, and help leadership teams to ensure that they are on the right path with any culture change, but they need to be given the trust themselves in order to influence and make impact. They should also remain in place once any change is embedded to ensure any adaptation or evolution.

This works wonders if done the right way. Identifying those champions who uphold the values of the organisation while leading the change creates a culture of trust. A recognition program for the champions with fair process of nominations and equal opportunity for everyone to participate can lead to a healthy workplace culture.

Champions are a powerful driver of culture change, especially when they are members of the staff and stakeholder groups that you wish to influence. Champions are the ones that will have trusted relationships. They may be seen as being more credible because the change will impact them as much as their peers. Also, having independent voices promoting the change you wish to create, brings far more credibility to your message. And finally, as these champions embody the new culture, they will subtly influence and start to create that culture organically. Then celebrate and recognise their efforts - failure to do this step risks undoing all your hard work.

Champions play huge part in successful culture change because they are on the ground, leading the way, inspiring and supporting others towards the shared vision. They help create the learning environment that is essential for successful culture change, and without them, employees may feel directionless, isolated and unsupported.

Identifying the behaviours and living them has to start with the leaders who are leading the change. They have to influence behaviours by being the torch bearers. Involving the people in identifying the behaviours and appreciating them can lead to ownership of the transformation.

Role modeling of enterprise”values oriented behaviors by most influential people in the organization in true sense act as reinforcers for slowly and steadily evolve the workplace into vibrant and inspirational place to work and to be. Instant rewards and recognition of values oriented behaviors are another way to embolden culture improving behaviors’ reinforcers

During one of my many leadership stints, I wanted to create a culture of inclusivity and be willing to be surprised and delighted by voices who didn't usually have a seat at the table. I knew their contribution could serve two purposes: 1 - new and fresh ideas. 2 - higher engagement/retention of talent. We were going through a reorg (one of many). I used this moment to consistently check in with team members to get a sense of the impact of the change. Some of that feedback led to further tweaking our structure to align with the culture change we envisioned. A burst of renewed creativity and energy resulted in higher productivity and better business results.

Flexibility in culture change is vital because not everything is controllable; external factors and unexpected challenges come up and require creative solutions. Being adaptable allows leaders to respond effectively, fostering an environment where innovative solutions can flourish amidst the complexities of cultural transformation.

It requires a strategic and empathetic approach. Start by clearly defining the vision and objectives of the change to your team. Communication is key; keep it open and frequent to address concerns and gather feedback. Empower your team by involving them in the process, allowing them to contribute ideas and take ownership of the change. Be prepared for resistance by understanding its roots and addressing it constructively. Demonstrate commitment to the change through your actions, as leading by example can inspire others to follow. Finally, celebrate small victories along the way to maintain morale and momentum. By staying proactive and responsive, you'll effectively steer your team through the complexities of culture change.

Take action. Often times culture change doesn’t happen because all we do is talk about how to change culture. You need to take action to see any actual change in an organization. It could be a small action, but the fact that you took one makes a BIG difference.

Remember the human beings... That is the one thing that most often gets forgotten in strategy implementation and change management. While the culture change may look obvious on paper, and within the leadership group which created it, chances are it will be perceived very differently by employees and stakeholders - especially if it is seen to be pushed through. Remembering that we human beings have different emotions, fears, assumptions - and respecting each person - acts as a great sense-check, and supports the implementation of each of the above steps in this article.