There has been a lot published on how leaders can do the hard work of building organizational culture for the better. And this is hardly a surprise: After all, culture shapes our experience of work and our organizations. A firm’s culture is strongly related not only to its performance and value, but, importantly, to the way it handles change (such as M&A integrations), fosters workplace well-being, and espouses ethical practices. Changing its culture can help a company achieve goals that have long seemed out of reach.
Retaining the Best of Your Culture Amid Organizational Change
Four ways to preserve key values and behaviors while undergoing a transformation.
November 13, 2023
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Summary.
While leaders are often focused on how to transform their organizations — and, specifically, their cultures — an equally difficult challenge is keeping a culture steady. As companies go through big changes, they need to retain the best elements of their shared assumptions, values, and common behaviors. Based on the author’s work as an organizational and social psychologist and 20 years of advising firms and leaders on culture, soft skills, and performance, she offers four tactics to keep the culture you want: Clarify what you want to keep (and act on it); listen to your people’s concerns; know when you’re being nostalgic; and marshal data.