Three Reasons Your Change Project Isn’t Going Like You Thought It Would, Part 2

In Part 1, I wrote about fear and resistance to change. Today we are going to look at the second reason why our change project is not going as smoothly as we thought it might: CULTURE.

Every organization has a culture. Our culture is the way we talk, dress, and make decisions.  Culture is the vibe we give off as a team or community. And in a head-to-head contest between an organization’s culture and change in the organization, culture will win time and time again. Oh, sure, we might be able to say we implemented change because we have a plan with goals and steps and nice graphics – but having a plan on paper and a plan your team embraces can be two different things. 

So how do we make sure our change management plan connects with our team and organization’s culture? 

First, be aware. Do we fully understand our culture and what is important to our team or organization? Is our plan written in those terms or are we using language that may work for another type of culture but doesn’t engage folks in your organization? Take a few minutes as you consider the way you are communicating about the change. Is it aligned with the culture?

Second, are the goals aligned? If your team culture is all about customer service and relationships, and then you start talking about metrics and transactional goals, you will get some pushback. And if your transactional and data-driven goals are the right ones for the organization, then learning from the first point, you need to share those metrics and transactions in terms of how it helps customer service or how it helps deepen the relationship.

Lastly, what if the language is right and the goals are right, but the culture is not. Not all culture is healthy. Sometimes organizational culture is a barrier to organizational health. If that is the case, then that requires an entirely different type of change project that involves clear leadership, clear goals, and some really tough conversations and decisions. 

That said, if unhealthy organizational culture is your barrier to change – you have a decision to make: either push forward with what you can recognizing your impact will be limited, or shift to working to change the culture, then making your change. (And that is another post for another day!)

Next time – systems.