Culture change can’t be achieved through top-down mandate. It lives in the collective hearts and habits of people and their shared perception of “how things are done around here.” Someone with authority can demand compliance, but they can’t dictate optimism, trust, conviction, or creativity.
Bryan Walker, Partner & Managing Director, IDEO San Francisco and Sarah A. Soule, Professor & Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Takeaways of Note:
Practices for Leading a Cultural Movement…
1- Frame the issue – the “why we exist” question… give meaning to work, conjure individual emotion & incite collective action.
2- Demonstrate quick wins – showing efficacy can bring in team members who are sympathetic but not yet mobilized to join… spotlight examples of actions you hope to see within the culture.
3- Harness networks – build coalitions & bridge disparate groups to form a larger, more diverse network sharing common purpose.
4- Create safe havens – create or identify spaces where team members can craft strategy & discuss tactics… change surroundings to be more supportive of new behaviors, particularly when they are antithetical to current culture.
5- Embrace symbols – construct & deploy symbols to create a feeling of solidarity & identity.
bonus nugget:
The Challenge to Leadership… “an enterprise leader is often in a position of authority. They can mandate changes to the organization — and at times they should. However, when it comes to culture change, they should do so sparingly. It’s easy to overuse one’s authority in the hopes of accelerating transformation.”