It’s one thing to create and implement the policies, strategies, and other elements that go into a company culture change; it’s another thing entirely to get all your employees on board with this new way of doing things and make sure they’re willing to stick to it. If you want to successfully change company culture and put yourself in the best position possible, these seven steps will help. Find out more about changing company culture in this HBR article.
Before you can change company culture, you need to identify and eliminate any underlying factors that are causing your company’s problems. For example, if your company has high turnover rates, find out why people aren’t sticking around. If a large number of employees are leaving due to hostile work environments or toxic leadership, then there may be some serious issues at play in management.
Let’s say that you’re aware of your company culture issues, but you just can’t seem to get motivated or inspired to make any changes. If that sounds like you, it might be time for a different approach. When trying to affect culture change, it’s easy for employees and leaders to lose sight of what really matters: results.
When looking to change company culture, it’s important not to bite off more than you can chew. Although you want your company culture changed immediately, change management should be implemented one policy or program at a time. Doing so will help your business sustain a more positive mindset and nurture new habits for everyone involved in growing your organization.
Change management is about communicating clearly about what needs to change, why it should change, and how it will change. All organizations have a mix of personalities who need reassurance that new policies aren’t going to affect them negatively. Make sure you have opportunities for your employees to ask questions as well as for ideas on how best implement changes. By explaining your motives and having a two-way communication, you show your employees you respect their input and their time.
Changing company culture is a long-term game, and you’ll need buy-in from all levels of your organization to succeed. This means you can’t just focus on changing how employees behave; you also have to influence how leaders think about their workers and how they use HR tools. This can be a slow process, but it should be an important one in any change management initiative.
No matter how committed you are to changing your company culture, make sure you approach it with a long-term perspective. Change management doesn’t happen overnight; rather, it’s an ongoing process that requires dedication and patience. In order for change management efforts to be successful, create an environment where employees feel comfortable voicing their concerns and ideas. Involve employees in all stages of change management and see what works best for your organization.
Start small, start now. It may be cliché, but it’s also true: Success doesn’t come overnight. If you want to improve your company culture, start with something that is within your control and build on it. It might not feel like you’re doing much at first, but taking these small steps will add up over time—and before you know it, your organization could have a new culture! For more information about improving company culture, contact Joshua.