10 Top Tips for Changing Organisational

Culture and Boosting Performance

Twitter: @HelenMJGiles

• Biggest provider of homelessness

services in UK

• Merger of 970 & 250 staff

• Executive Team: 4 from one and 3

from the other

• New organisation: not imposing one

culture on the other

The challenges for St Mungo’s Broadway

• What is positive about existing

culture – evidence?

• What is undesirable about existing

culture - impact

• Include people in identifying this, and

shared values and vision (desired

culture) going forward

1. Identify gaps between existing and desired culture

Symptoms of a negative culture

.

• Lack of staff commitment, skills and professionalism

• Weak and remote leaders – bunker mentality

• A number of underperformers who drain efforts and resources – managers and staff

• Staff focused on own needs, not customers

• Silo mentalities

• Lateness – to work, meetings, training – is quite normal and accepted

• Lack of confidence by managers in handling disciplinary or performance issues

More symptoms of a negative culture

.

• Overstaffing – adding to compliment to avoid tackling

the problems

• Real or perceived bullying • Frequent grievances or threats of grievances

• High absence rates – sick leave an entitlement which

‘goes with the job’

• Low employee engagement – poor survey results • Lots of pay offs or Employment Tribunals • Poor service results and customer satisfaction

• Adversarial relations with Trade Unions

• Policies which tie management’s hands

• Over-indulgence of staff – treating them like service

users

Hallmarks of a positive, high-performing culture

.

• Staff who visibly go the extra mile – autonomy, initiative, judgement

• Strong, empowering leaders and managers

• Culture of respect and recognition

• Clarity of vision and goals at all levels – strong emphasis on and pride in positive outcomes

• Robust structures for communication and involvement

• Strong teamwork, and inter-team working

• Zero tolerance of poor behaviour and performance

• People are always on time for work and meetings

.

• Honest feedback is given and welcomed

• Visible match between espoused values of the organisation and the behaviours of everybody who works there.

• Strong sense of ‘felt fairness’ throughout the organisation

• Risk-taking, creativity, innovation, continuous improvement

• Positive provider and employer brand

• People are challenged and supported rather than indulged

2. Ensure that the leaders are up to it

. • Is the CEO really behind it?

• Will the Board get behind it?

• Will the CEO drive accountability for success

throughout the organisation?

The toxic triangle

.

Poor/destructive

leaders

Susceptible followers •Conformers

•Colluders

Conducive environments •Cultural values

•Lack of effective processes and accountability structures

Adrian Furnham The Elephant in the Boardroom

3. Ensure that leaders communicate an exciting vision

for the journey

. • What will be better as a result?

• What people can expect of the organisation

• What the organisation expects of its people

• What happens if I don’t want to get on board?

FIFO

• How and when will we know if we are getting

there?

4. Identify your champions and blockers

.

• Ensure strong leadership from the very top, with

Board backing

• Strategically distribute and empower your

champions

• Use restructuring and tough conversations to

remove blockers

• Remember blockers can exist at all levels

Respondents to change

Champions

5-10%

Chasers

10-20%

Converts

30-50%

Challengers

10-20%

Change-

aphobics

5-10%

5. Adopt and adapt a framework model

. Use it to:

• Breakdown assessment and planning into

manageable streams

• Identify stakeholders in analysing weaknesses

and action planning for improvements:

workshops, focus groups, customer surveys

Keller & Price: Beyond Performance

.

• Direction

• Leadership

• Culture and climate

• Accountability

• Co-ordination and control

• Capabilities

• Motivation

• External orientation

• Innovation and learning

6. Remember that performance management

processes are your framework and glue

. • Clear objectives at all levels

• The right competency framework

• Defined performance standards

• 360 degree feedback

7. Create the conditions for effective leader-managers

at all levels of the organisation

. • Robust recruitment and selection – internally and

externally

• Performance standards for managers

• Expert team-building facilitation for top team

• In-house manager training – with plenty of role

play

• Zero tolerance of managers who won’t lead and

manage

St Mungo’s Broadway’s leadership and management

development programme

.

• Competencies

• Performance

standards

• Upwards feedback

Recruitment &

Selection

Managing

Difficult

Behaviour

Engaging

Leadership

Managing for

High

Performance

Team Building

& Conflict

Management

Managing

Attendance

Managing

Diversity Action learning

One to one coaching

Management Induction

Managing

Health &

Safety

8. Recognise and reward people who lead and model

the desired culture

. • Don’t over-rely on pay systems – don’t consider

PRP until you have established a high-

performing culture

• Target development opportunities and

promotions

• Employee recognition schemes

9. Measure and celebrate progress

. • How will you know if things are moving in the

right direction? Qualitative and quantitative

indicators

• Identify and celebrate the ‘quick wins’

• Signing up for accreditations and awards

• Constantly articulate and communicate the

connections between changed behaviours and

organisational success

10. Focus on sustainability over time

.

• Be careful who you let in and up the new

organisation

• Rolling leadership and management

development programmes

• Nurture and continuously improve effective

frameworks, e.g. recruitment and selection,

performance management, HR policies

• Link HR staff goals to sustaining and improving

leadership and management performance

throughout the organisation

Recap

1. Identify gap between existing and desired culture

2. Ensure leaders up to it

3. Communicate vision

4. Identify champions and blockers

5. Adapt framework model

6. Performance management processes

7. Create right conditions for effective leader managers

8. Reward champions

9. Measure and celebrate progress

10.Focus on sustainability – your work is never done!