Adapt or Perish: Evaluating Your Organisation's Culture in the Face of Change by Steve Simpson

We are currently facing a profound shift that is challenging every organisation across the globe.?

Consider the advent of AI – a phenomenon introducing challenges that only a handful had anticipated. Jobs are disappearing, new ones are emerging, and what's beyond doubt is that AI is poised to leave its mark on every organisation in the near future and beyond.

Coupled with this is the aftermath of the pandemic, where the new normal has employees insisting on working from home. This is largely due to the power dynamic that has shifted in their favour, particularly in countries grappling with labour and skill shortages.

This leads to critical questions at the forefront of every leader's mind: How can they navigate through these unfamiliar waters? How can leadership teams chart a course where the terrain can transform so rapidly into unfamiliar territory?

A crucial risk, from our perspective, is often overlooked by many leaders – the change-readiness of their organisational culture.

Let's discuss change

Throughout our years of working with organisations, we've identified the unspoken norms or unwritten ground rules (UGRs) that underpin their workplace culture. These UGRs fundamentally shape people's behaviours, yet are rarely, if ever, openly discussed.

One method we've developed (in collaboration with two Australian universities in a pioneering research) to identify prevalent UGRs is to have individuals 'complete the sentence' for what we call 'lead-in sentences'. These sentences are designed to align with the organisation's aspirational culture.

A common lead-in sentence we've incorporated into our work is: 'Around here, when it comes to change…'.

Typically, responses to this lead-in statement are both unexpected and challenging. Here are some feedback from a recent organisation we worked with:

"There's no change management. Decisions are made randomly, impacting clients and staff significantly."

"Change happens overnight, often without any warning or explanation."

"There's a general reluctance to change."

"Our organisation suffers from 'change fatigue'. This often leads to resistance to additional changes, even if they could be beneficial."

"Change is slow. A change in mindset is needed first. People are not motivated to change."

"Change is rarely implemented."

"There's significant resistance due to a lack of understanding of how systems work."

These prevailing UGRs undoubtedly influence the degree to which future change initiatives will be accepted and implemented.

Similarly surprising responses have come from the sentence: 'Around here, when someone comes up with a new idea…'

Aiming to be change-ready?

While progressive leadership teams are staying alert to developments in AI and adapting to employees' evolving needs, including remote work, there's another crucial aspect that requires attention – the organisational culture and its readiness for change.

In order to best prepare the organisation for impending changes, we believe it's vital to address the cultural aspects right now.