A practical approach to culture change.

1. Bite-size Culture Change
By William P. Macaux, Ph.D. MBA
Perhaps you know that attitudes and patterns of behavior in your organization are not where you
want them to be. But the idea of a two-year march toward culture change does not feel like the
right answer. Consider "bite-size culture change," a novel and pragmatic alternative to either
doing nothing or enduring another long, drawn-out HR initiative.
Traditional theories of culture change, i.e. John Kotter, Edgar Schein, Jim Collins and others, are right:
Organizational culture change is something that occurs over a period of years not months. Many experts
believe it takes on average 2-3 years. They're probably right. Perhaps that is why so few leaders take it
seriously. Let's face it, if a change effort cannot register impact sooner than that, how many senior teams
will be able to form the proper sense of "urgency," which Kotter so correctly argues must be present to
sustain follow-through.
Well, I have long felt that we approach culture change in a preposterously nebulous manner. Talk about
paralysis of analysis. First, we are encouraged to measure the current state using a tool with benchmark
comparisons, the practical relevance of which may or may not be aligned with our particular
organization's heritage, goals, values or aspirations. Next we are told that we should conduct focus-group
sessions to properly validate our interpretation of the data. Well, you get the picture.
After several months of planning, measuring, interpreting, communicating, etc., we still have done
nothing substantial except to raise expectations of action, which we will very likely disappoint by getting
frustrated with the whole bureaucratic process. So, this leads us to ask, why should we care about culture
at all? If there is something to take seriously here, what is it, and isn't there a more practical and
immediate path toward generating a meaningful impact?
Yes, I think there is something meaningful in the concept and the actual phenomenon we refer to with the
word culture. I will share my view of why we have reason to care about culture, that is, culture a bit
differently understood. Then, I will offer some suggestions for how we might act on this revised, more
practically relevant notion of culture. As you will see, my aims are to help you realize impact in weeks
not years.
“For the simplicity on this side of complexity, I wouldn't give you a
fig. But for the simplicity on the other side of complexity, for
that I would give you anything I have.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
Culture Reconsidered
The old way. Our traditional notions of culture - "the way we do things around here," a body of values,
beliefs, and normative principles that shape everyday behavior - which I won't bother elaborating for you,
are not invalid or without merit. I, like most management psychologists, have learned much from the
traditional literature on culture. Indeed, for some time I thought, spoke, and consulted using many of the
core concepts and recommendations that I now criticize as being nebulous and impractical.
You've no doubt heard the expression, "Let's not let perfection become the enemy of the good!" It is aptly
applied to our present discussion. In the spirit of intellectual rigor and thoroughness, we have erred in the
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2. direction of becoming overwhelmed with the scope and complexity of culture as an organization-wide
phenomenon. For anthropologists that may be fine. They are not aiming to change culture as a rule. They
only want to study it with a respectful and appreciative eye, safeguarding its integrity. That is to be
admired, and there is much to be learned from the academic discipline of anthropological culture study.
Consultants, too, can confound the problem. As a breed, we love ideas, complexity, and large-scale
projects. In most cases, this is not a matter of anyone trying to sell you something you do not need or
could not benefit from. However, this approach to culture as a global, long-term change process that
management must oversee and sponsor for two or more years, as a practical matter it just won't fly.
The new way. Even those who love to explore the complexity of the whole will acknowledge that the
whole consists of parts, subcultures, not to be confused with countercultures. In systems theory there is a
similar breakdown of entire organizational systems into subsystems. A simple example is the structure of
a family system. There is the parental dyad (subsystem), the sibling subsystem, and we could even
include extended family units. In any case, all interact to shape the psychosocial features of the family
culture. Like firms, these cultures are trans-generational, they have a history.
That's all very interesting, but where does change in the psychosocial family system usually begin?
Usually change begins in the "executive subsystem," the parental dyad. If mom and dad want things to be
different in the family, e.g. communications, ethical principles, accountabilities for household duties and
chores, etc., they need to first consider how they contribute to sustaining the current practices in the
home. Consciously or unconsciously, intentionally or inadvertently, they set the tone.
It is really no different in a business organization. Whether you wish to call it team development or group
dynamics, it is the executive subsystem and subculture that management can most immediately affect
through its actions and it can have significant near-term impacts on "how we do things around here." It
works. Indeed, if we were to take psychotherapeutic interventions with individuals, couples, or families as
a "benchmark," research indicates a 70% success rate - better than most culture-change interventions I
have heard about.
There are differences between traditional team development and group dynamics interventions and what I
have come to call "bit-size culture change." The scope of what you have reason to care about is broader. It
includes all the normative dimensions of human behavior that organizational culture focuses on: beliefs,
values, and norms concerning what is healthy and adaptive (psychosocial normativity), and norms that
concern with is good/bad and right/wrong (ethical normativity).
What makes it challenging is not the time that it takes to generate results. If you do not begin seeing
significant positive differences in how others think, feel, and act in the performance of their roles within
two to three months I would be disappointed. Notice I refer to others. The change in their attitudes and
behavior is shaped by your managerial and leadership behavior, and especially your approach to
leadership. So what is it then that makes bite-size culture change challenging?
What makes it challenging is that it works from the inside out. It requires a level of candor and tenacity
on the part of senior team members to have frank and honest conversations with one another. You must
discuss how things work now and what your responsibility is for the virtues and successes as well as for
the failings and disappointments that the current system/culture generates.
If that kind of self-examination and openness, expression of feelings and thoughts, seems like soft and
fluffy stuff, or if it seems too uncomfortable, then don't bother talking about culture or pursuing bite-size
culture change. It won't work.
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3. However, if you are genuinely willing to stick your neck out along with your colleagues on the senior
team, then I would encourage you to go for it. This is not an undertaking that you need to advertise
widely. In fact, I would recommend that you get through the early stages of the process before explicitly
making mention of your focus on changing "how we do things around here." Actions speak louder than
words, and you must first discover the power of this process and form a genuine belief in its potential for
producing positive change.
If you have specific questions about how to apply the ideas presented here, or if you are interested in
having the author speak to your team on the topic of bite-size culture change, please contact the author
at bill.macaux@generativityllc.com.
William P. Macaux, Ph.D. MBA
Principal & Management Psychologist
Generativity LLC
www.generativityllc.com
+1 617.312.5305
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