I frequently reference the fact that a culture transformation will require the learning of new behaviors.
This is because all activities which occur within an organization by people are really the sum total of the ways in which they behave in a variety of circumstances, which in turn defines an organization’s culture.
If the culture is one that is described as fast-paced, aggressive, and “every person for themselves,” then clearly the behaviors which one would see in that culture reflect people making decisions quickly, taking action quickly, moving to places and outcomes which tend to be more focused on the benefit to be realized for themselves than for others. This would describe an organization where internal competition is encouraged, where time spent in discussion and collaboration would be at a minimum, and where individual prowess is recognized above all. The common view of a trader in the financial markets would tend to fit this description.
On the other hand, if the culture is one that is collaborative, thoughtful, others-centered, and caring, then the kinds of behaviors one would tend to see here are those that would encourage meeting together, considering alternatives, acting only after the impact on others is considered, and after considerable thought has been given to the impact on the needs or quality of life of others. Here, the general view of humanitarian-focused organizations, or those concerned about the well-being of those deeply in need, come to mind.
Whatever the situation, the culture of an organization is no more than the behaviors of its members. If the culture requires a transformation of some sort, then the behaviors must change. A compassionate and caring culture may feel that it needs to become somewhat more efficient, and aware of the need to move more quickly. In that case the transformation requires that all the qualities which are valued are kept, but that individual behaviors change so that they also include ways to be more efficient, and actions which demonstrate a greater attention being paid to time management. This is a good example of a culture transformation that needs to occur, and would benefit many, but which does not require the organization to change its entire culture completely. Rather, a portion of that culture needs some attention, and steps need to be taken to address it. Rarely does an organization need to transform its entire culture. Much more frequently, it is merely some aspect of the larger culture which requires attention. Other examples: a service industry may feel that its attention to customer service has waned so a transformation is required that brings much greater attention to the customers, and so become more customer centric. A fast food operation may feel as though their focus on hygiene has slipped, so the transformation’s focus is to drive each individual to be more attentive to presenting cleanliness as a key differentiator. A manufacturing operation may feel that a transformation around safety is vital as some situations have occurred which have made management feel as though safety is no longer high enough on the priority list. Whatever the situation, the behaviors of the individuals involved must change. This then leads to the question: “How to change behavior?” There are a number of components that are necessary. One which has already been discussed is the involvement of senior management to lead and support the new behaviors. Another is maintaining a clear line of sight as to why the new behaviors need to change. However, there is a third and vital element that must be involved, and that is training. The training of individuals is an incredibly powerful way to change behavior. Training that is done well, that engages individuals’ hearts as well as their minds, which includes practice and a focus on results as well as the simple sharing of knowledge, can have an outstanding effect on changing human behavior. This training must be done with care, since training can actually change the entire direction of an organization, and radically influence the outcomes which are being obtained and the value which is being given to the shareholders. Typically, if individuals are shown how to behave differently from their norm, which is then seen to be better, and they adopt those new ways, performance improves.
This is true in sports such as golf, tennis, or swimming when new skills are learned and practiced until they are habitual. It is true in areas such as drama, pottery, or painting; and it is true in technical areas such as plumbing, welding, or machine repair. Virtually every endeavor with which we are involved can be impacted positively by training; with training, we can learn to be better athletes, better craftsmen, or more technically skilled.
There are some forms of training that are dramatically more effective than others. There are organizations offering leadership training that has limited effect, and there are organizations offering leadership training that is highly effective. There are those who are very poor at training their apprentices, and those who are brilliant at it. There is no question that the quality of training varies widely, but this does not take away from the fact that training can be the best possible way to change human behavior and that great training can make a great difference. If this principle is applied to culture transformation, then obviously training is a critical component. Individuals within the organization undergoing a transformation must be trained in terms of what new behaviors are expected, and how to demonstrate them. Once the training has been provided, then the line manager steps in. The line manager’s job is to work with their own teams in terms of the application of the training on the job. Essentially this requires that the line manager focus on three areas: what to stop; what to start; and what to continue. This three-part test is extremely valuable to line managers as they provide help along the path towards the transformation of the culture. This help should be in the form of a discussion about day-to-day priorities, how they are affected by this focus on the culture transformation, and what behaviors are currently being demonstrated which are no longer consistent with the new culture desired, and can therefore be stopped. Discussion then moves to what behaviors are currently not being demonstrated which have been learned in the recent training, and should now become part of the day-to-day activities. These need to start. Then thirdly, what portion of current behaviors are fine, and remain crucial to the way in which we operate, and, as such, are not to be affected by the transformation.
An example of this would be an organization wishing to transform its sales force from farmers to hunters. In this example, the culture of the organization is strong, and most aspects of the organization are what they should be in the eyes of senior management. However, for some reason, perhaps competitive pressure, or the launch of a new product, senior management feels that the sales force culture of essentially being order takers is no longer adequate. They must move to being a more aggressive sales force seeking new business and finding new clients…essentially moving from farmers to hunters.
For members of the sales force, this is a significant culture transformation. Individuals who used to come to work clearly in terms of how they did their job, would have described the culture as one where the role was about relationships and taking orders on a regular basis. Now the culture is changing, sales reps must be more aggressive, they need to reach out and find new business, and spend less time over coffee maintaining relationships, and more time finding new customers to sell to. For each rep this is a dramatic culture transformation. In this example, each sales manager needs to sit with their reps and reinforce that the way in which business was done before now needs to shift. The things which need to stop are things which relate to the attitude of being merely an order taker, and working the same route. The things which need to be initiated relate to building a base of new people to talk to, spending more time tracking down potential new customers, and then presenting the company’s products to them. The things which
need to continue are focus on quality, service, attention to detail, and reputation. While this is only a summary of a conversation which would take much longer, and include far more, it does provide an illustration of “stop, start, continue.” There will be things within the current organization which are great and need to continue, but for the transformation to occur other things must be discontinued, and now be replaced with new behaviors that will produce different results.