The Importance of a Positive and Cohesive Culture in Driving Transformational Change

“A positive and cohesive culture is the key to unlocking talent, potential, happiness, and engagement in the workplace,” writes executive coach Susan Robertson, Co-Founder and CEO, of Linceis Conscious Business, in her essay, “Cultural Transformation: Linking Leadership Behavior to Positive Results.” According to Susan, “Without a powerful and collaborative culture your team cannot create a purpose, strategy, or plan that aligns values and behaviors with organizational goals.”

Her essay, which can be found in the book, The Secret Sauce for Leading Transformational Change, shares the experience of a senior Fortune 100 Financial Services Company executive whose organization’s leaders had previously focused on finding mistakes and instilling fear rather than fostering teamwork, agility, and adaptability. It was a prime example of an organization that was achieving revenue and scorecard successes, but whose culture led to low employee engagement and high attrition rates.

With a leadership philosophy of scaring and shaming employees into working harder to exceed organizational goals, employees did what they had to do to survive. Some became physically ill; others simply left. Eventually, results began to plummet. Change was needed.

The catalyst for cultural transformation came when this senior executive’s team was given the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback through an employee opinion survey. The results revealed a prevalent fear-based culture, prompting the executive leadership team to take action. They hired a new head of operations to initiate change, and the senior executive’s team embarked on a journey of cultural transformation.

Here is a summary of that process. For a more in-depth recounting of the experience, I recommend reading Susan’s full essay in The Secret Sauce.

Step One: Gaining Insight

The first step in the cultural change process was to gain insight with detailed feedback from the team. This is the point at which the author or this essay, Susan, began working with the senior executive and her team to create a leadership and cultural transformation roadmap. Through interviews and surveys, they gathered feedback from more than 325 employees.

Step Two: Create Clarity

Susan, the executive, and her team identified three major gaps in leadership and teamwork behaviors that were adversely impacting the organization’s culture and climate. They shared these gaps along with a promise to take action and create positive change. This open communication generated trust and excitement for a new beginning.

Through personality assessments and a focus on emotional intelligence, the team addressed issues of control and “the need to be right.” They committed to working through disagreement and conflict respectfully. The team adopted the REAL Results Model?, which emphasizes “People + Process = Performance.” Tommie and her team had previously focused primarily on process improvement, but by adding the people focus and teamwork aspect, their performance dramatically improved.

Step Three: Buy-In

With their newfound respect and ability to work through tough conflict, the team took the next step to create shared goals and obtain buy-in from all participants. Using the Effectiveness Factor Equation? (Idea Level × Participant Buy-In = Effectiveness Level), the team recognized that individuals and teams have to give up the need to be right in order to be effective. They moved away from individual success measures and developed shared leadership, team, and culture-focused goals aligned with their KPIs and scorecard goals.

Step Four: Celebrate Change

Throughout the process, the executive and her team celebrated change and intentionally tracked positives. They shifted their leadership style to a "love them or I'll lose them" approach, which increased employee engagement and satisfaction. By linking leadership behavior to results, they achieved significant improvements in customer satisfaction, employee retention, and expense reduction.

A Transformational Journey

The story of this executive and her team showcases the importance of a positive and cohesive culture in driving talent, potential, happiness, and engagement in the workplace. Through courage, clarity, mutual respect, buy-in, and celebration, they successfully transformed their culture and achieved remarkable results.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The Secret Sauce for Leading Transformational Change, from lead author Ian Ziskin and with contributions from dozens of senior business leaders, HR leaders, experts, coaches, and consultants, shares insight, vivid stories, lessons learned, and best practices for what it takes to lead, survive, and thrive in periods of transformational change. Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats, you can learn more at https://www.transformationalchangebook.com.