The Invisible Challenge: Transforming Culture

That mystery, that intangible thing we call "Culture." We don’t quite know what it is, we don’t know exactly what it looks like, and we certainly don’t know how to change it. This article invites you to understand and break down the elements of organizational culture—both the visible and the invisible—so that true, sustainable transformation can occur.

Have you ever asked yourself or the leaders in your organization how they would define culture? If not, I invite you to try. We’ve conducted this exercise in various organizations, and there’s a common pattern: everyone knows culture matters, and everyone agrees it needs to change, but few can actually define it.

We often treat culture as something ethereal—something we feel but can’t quite describe. And yet, if we aim to make real transformation happen, this lack of clarity or shared language becomes the first significant barrier to change: How can we change something that we can’t define, let alone see?

Why Does Culture Matter?

That thing we call “culture” has a direct, tangible impact on how people work. Culture can bring out the best—or the worst—in people. It can become a “factory of frustration,” creating contradictions, disengagement, and disconnection within teams, or it can be a powerful driver of alignment and purpose. When culture is left to chance, it can be a huge risk for achieving the organization’s goals.

So, How Do We Define Culture?

For many organizations, culture is simply “how things are done around here.” But if we want to change culture intentionally, this definition doesn’t take us far enough.

The definition that resonates with us most is this:

Culture is the set of values, beliefs, protocols, and practices—both formal and informal—that dictate what is done and what is not done in an organization. It’s more than just a collection of isolated behaviors, as culture is built on the interactions that occur within these behaviors.

The two keywords here are:

• Informal: most cultures differ significantly from what’s written in the Cultural Book or displayed on posters around the office.
• Interaction: what happens between people matters! Culture begins to take shape through micro-interactions—between leaders and teams, among teams from different departments, in conversations outside of formal channels, in the rumors that spread, and in the beliefs that grow and take hold.

So, how do we make the invisible visible? And, even more importantly, how do we transform culture?

Uncovering Culture: The Visible and the Invisible

And here we arrive at the heart of the article: our Mutta DeepCulture Framework?. Organizational culture can be understood as the tip of an iceberg: the visible part is only a small fraction. At the same time, the most fundamental aspects lie beneath the surface, holding up the entire system.

• The Visible: Behaviors and Habits Are Not the Same

The first thing we notice about an organization’s culture is its behaviors—the things people do and don’t do. It’s easy to see when someone acts collaboratively or innovatively; however, when these behaviors remain consistent over time, we enter the realm of habits.

For cultural transformation to be real, desired behaviors must become habits—consistent practices that reflect the new culture in a sustainable way. For example, many organizations push for innovation projects, but when they end, people tend to revert to the old ways of doing things. When we can get these new behaviors to consistently and spontaneously integrate into daily routines, that’s when we can talk about habits—and real cultural transformation.

• The Invisible: Beliefs, Motivations, and Emotions

Behind what we do lies the reason why we do it. Beliefs, motivations, and emotions are the true drivers of behaviors. These invisible elements are the triggers that define how we act and react. We can’t expect to change behaviors if we don’t understand and address (both are essential) these three catalysts.

1. Emotions: Affective responses that can amplify or inhibit behaviors.
2. Motivations: Internal factors that drive individuals to act. They give us reasons to do something because we believe it will be worthwhile, offer a satisfying reward, provide pleasure, or help us achieve a goal. There’s a desire to do it.
3. Beliefs: Deeply ingrained convictions that influence perception and decisions.

Trying to change culture only at the behavioral level is an incomplete effort. For change to last, we need to work on these invisible elements, as they ultimately sustain—or sabotage—transformation.

?? Learn more about our Human-Centric Change Management approach to Transformation

Making Culture Visible: The Story of the Fish

There’s a story that perfectly illustrates this challenge. In the ocean, an old fish swims by two young fish and asks, “How’s the water today?” The young fish look at each other and wonder, “What on earth is water?” Culture is the “water” we’re all immersed in—something so ever-present that it goes unnoticed.

Yuval Harari introduces a key concept to understand this: the level of intersubjective reality. Unlike objective reality (which exists independently of what we think) or subjective reality (which exists only in an individual’s mind), culture is an intersubjective phenomenon: it exists in the collective space of shared beliefs and norms. This level of reality is what we need to transform when we talk about changing culture. But to do this, we must make the invisible visible.

How? Through a structured diagnosis that not only captures observable behaviors but also dives into shared beliefs, prevalent emotions, and genuine motivations that drive collective actions. This process reveals the “water” we’re all immersed in, which often entails much more than we perceive from our own experience within the system. Only with this clarity can we change it.

Additionally, the diagnosis must understand the system where that culture exists. For instance, we might want our employees to work with agility, but if we have processes full of waste that prevent them from doing so—even though they have been trained and are motivated to do so—it becomes impossible. Or, we might aim to foster innovation, yet we maintain recognition protocols that, instead of celebrating risk-takers, reinforce behaviors that discourage risk. The diagnosis must reveal these contradictions so we can intervene effectively.

?? If you want to delve deeper into Transformation Prism, a comprehensive diagnostic tool for Organizational Transformation, click here.

Now, How Do We Transform Culture?

A cultural transformation cannot be achieved through isolated or short-term actions. It is a continuous process of discovery, change, and management. Like our own personal growth, organizational culture is not something that’s “fixed” and done; it’s constantly adapting and evolving. Here are some essential considerations for a real and sustainable transformation:

1. Transformation Is a Collective Effort No one transforms anything alone. Human Resources can’t take on cultural change by itself; it needs leaders from all areas as active partners in the process. Culture lives in every corner of the organization, and without the collective commitment of those who directly impact teams and decisions, change won’t be deep.
2. Create a Common Language To work on culture, we must first agree on what we’re talking about when we say “culture.” What does it mean for everyone? What do we understand by “cultural change”? Building a common language and sharing a clear understanding of what we want to achieve facilitates alignment and makes genuine collaboration possible.
3. Courage to Reveal the “True Colors” Changing culture means, first and foremost, discovering it as it is, with all its strengths and challenges. We need the courage to look beyond ideals and aspirational messages and embrace the “true colors” of the current culture. This honest, unfiltered diagnosis is the foundation of any real change.
4. Change Management as a Key Element Culture isn’t a “project” with a beginning and an end; it’s a strategic, dynamic, and fully orchestrated process. Change management isn’t an add-on; it’s essential. Changing culture requires a series of structured and cohesive actions that operate as “culture generators”—events, practices, and intentional rituals that reinforce desired behaviors and allow change to take root over time.

Conclusion: The Endless Shift

Organizational culture is one of the most decisive factors in a company’s success and growth, although it’s often underestimated. It’s not just a measure of “climate” or a simple reflection of general mood; it’s the organization’s deep identity, and turning it into a driver of success requires two key elements: managing it intentionally and continuously.

Culture is constantly shifting, responding to internal interactions and the external environment. With a deep understanding of these elements and a focused approach to change management, it’s possible not only to navigate transformation but to turn culture into a strategic asset that brings out the best in our people.

Carolina Sordelli

CEO & Founder

Mutta Studio