Adam FisherReading

September 2015

STEP IN & DRIVE IT

Ignore culture at your peril...

What’s the problem?Why does it matter?How do you measure your risk?What can you do about it?

tradition perception

beliefs

feelingsunwritten

rules

stories habits

Comfortzones

We’d like to think this is how we operate

but often… it isn’t

vision

valuesstructure

goals

colleaguesagainst

virtuallyeverything

infighting

misalignment

disengagementmyths

cynicismfear of the unknown

assumptions

complacency

hubris

Is any organisation immune from the effects of disruptive change?

Successful change is unlikely to emerge from a resistant culture – the organisation may:

be left behind, lose competitive edge and/or become irrelevant

fail to attract or retain staff, customers, partners, donors, volunteers…

lose public trust, interest and/or reputation

Do you want to be a follower?

or to rise above the rest?

Why does it matter?

Getting left behind... … they didn’t see it coming

Loss of reputation...

Bottom of the

IN tray

Haphazard efforts, false

starts

Anxiety frustrationdelay & risk

A fast start that

fades out

clearsharedvision

pressurefor

change

capacity for change

Successful change comes in many forms4 key elements dictate the odds

actionable plan

Experience tells us success will only come against the odds

Culture is most directly linked to the capacity for change – many symptoms can be used to calibrate this. Consider where behaviours in your organisation lie between:

silos joined-uphow? why?

cost value

introvert extrovert

stagnation innovation

talk the talk walk it

Measuring your risk

Some other pointers

misinterpretation effective communication

engagement – none visceral

opaque responsibility clear accountability

avoid failure learn from mistakes

hierarchical constructive empowerment

knee jerk, short term proactive, strategic

analysis paralysis bias for action

What can you do about it? One size doesn’t fit all - tune in to relevant politics and behaviours

Keep your eyes open for CAVEmen - manage your energy

Find other change agents - they may be anywhere - and turn them into allies

Ensure you understand business aims, meet and extend them... improve the perception & credibility of IT

Look to technology to deliver a feel for the “art of the possible”... use this to erode cultural obstacles to success

Ensure that any change project is managed with emotional intelligence, persuasive powers, foresight and intuition

Tailor communication with rich metaphors and relevant examples… show what’s in it for your audience

Much has been said and written

Successful change is easier when people want it, and are excited by the possibilities

People choose to engage – you can’t make them – but you can create an environment that will encourage them to choose

Stay positive and keep your nerve throughout what will be a complex, slow process measured in years

Even if you want things to stay the same, chances are that something has to change

Ignore culture at your peril...

Questions & discussion