How can you involve your research team in a culture change initiative?

1 Assess the current culture

Before you embark on any culture change initiative, you need to understand the current state of your research team's culture. How do they communicate, collaborate, and innovate? What are their strengths, weaknesses, and pain points? What are their expectations, motivations, and values? You can use various methods to assess the current culture, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, or feedback sessions. The key is to involve your research team in the assessment process and listen to their perspectives and experiences.

2 Define the desired culture

Once you have a clear picture of the current culture, you need to define the desired culture that you want to create for your research team. What is your vision, mission, and purpose? What are your goals, objectives, and strategies? What are the values, principles, and behaviors that you want to promote and reinforce? You can use various tools to define the desired culture, such as vision statements, value propositions, culture maps, or culture decks. The key is to involve your research team in the definition process and co-create a shared vision and values.

3 Identify the gaps and opportunities

After you have defined the desired culture, you need to identify the gaps and opportunities between the current and the desired culture. Where are the discrepancies, misalignments, or conflicts? Where are the potentials, synergies, or advantages? You can use various frameworks to identify the gaps and opportunities, such as SWOT analysis, gap analysis, force field analysis, or change readiness assessment. The key is to involve your research team in the identification process and solicit their input and ideas.

5 Communicate the change

Throughout the culture change initiative, you need to communicate the change effectively to your research team. Why is the change necessary and beneficial? What is the progress and status of the change? How can they contribute and participate in the change? You can use various channels to communicate the change, such as emails, newsletters, meetings, or workshops. The key is to involve your research team in the communication process and encourage them to ask questions and share feedback.

6 Celebrate the success

Finally, you need to celebrate the success of your culture change initiative with your research team. What are the achievements and outcomes of the change? How have they improved the performance and satisfaction of your research team? How can you sustain and reinforce the change? You can use various ways to celebrate the success, such as recognition, rewards, testimonials, or stories. The key is to involve your research team in the celebration process and acknowledge their efforts and contributions.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?