You may believe that transforming an organization’s culture is comparable to the idiom “eating an elephant.”
It is consumed one bite at a time.
I won’t lie: the majority of the work will be accomplished in minuscule, almost imperceptible stages.
Here, we are refining a process.
There was a value instilled.
Each step builds upon the previous one.
But gradual measures yield incremental benefits.
To revolutionize a civilization… a revolution is required.
If you are interested in organizational transformation, you should read the SPEC report. The researchers analyzed Silicon Valley start-ups, a rich source of information regarding culture, success, and failure.
Among their numerous findings?
If you wish to alter the culture, you must alter the leadership.
It should come as no surprise that employees glance above and mimic what they see. Part of this is unconscious, as humans are social beings who follow their leaders intuitively. Part of it is purposeful calculation by individuals seeking career advancement.
That is the simple solution; leave.
The longer route?
This requires a well-planned effort. A tumult of interconnecting elements that reshapes the culture from the inside out and the bottom up.
The first step is to determine what needs to be altered. Do you require more innovation, better customer service, or something else?
I always encourage fostering organizational trust.
Why?
Because it facilitates all future transformation initiatives. People enthusiastically follow leaders in whom they have implicit and explicit trust.
Again, deliberately and subconsciously, they drag their feet when they mistrust your motives or abilities.
Trust gives an organization its vitality.
It is the ultimate strategic advantage, attracting people, ideas, investment, and (if necessary) forgiveness.
Regardless of your decision, pick wisely.
The subsequent step is to assess the current state of affairs. As any social scientist will tell you, this measurement is meaningless… in isolation. But it will create a standard against which future performance may be measured.
Then, create a communications plan. A weekly email and a few town hall meetings are insufficient. You want the change to be foremost in everyone’s mind, which necessitates excessive communication.
Determine how to permeate the mind with your image of the future.
Deliver the necessary information to your employees through microlearning. Not speeches, seminars, nor cumbersome SOPs. Make it brief, concise, and searchable.
Engage your employees. Have a clear vision and delegate authority to anyone who stands forward. Trust and encourage your staff; they know better than anybody else what must change and how to make it happen.
Continue communicating.
Continue to experiment.
Live and live the push for change.
If you are successful, you will see effects within a few months. Your organization will become unrecognizable within a few years.
The most effective means of enhancing your organization is with the greatest advantage: trust.
But how can anything like this be measured, let alone improved?
Especially if your crew is thin, jaded, and exhausted by change?
There are proven, simple, and successful solutions you may adopt immediately. I am confident that you can unlock the employees’ creativity, productivity, and happiness.