How to Change a Culture

Change does not occur in a vacuum but occurs because of a need, whether real or perceived. As Renesch (2008) points out, even while valid reasons may exist for instituting transforming patterns of behavior, corporate cultures are resistant to change, often continuing to work as a dysfunctional group. Therefore, it is very important for those initiating change to ensure it is accepted by those who must change their behavior or activities in order to be effective.

In order to gain wide acceptance, the problems to be fixed must be clearly articulated in a way that will be easily understood by the targeted audience. It must focus on the positive implications of the suggested new behavior or activity, focusing on the goals or outcomes of the targeted population. In doing so, negative implications cannot be ignored; there must be clear explanations of how they will be mitigated, no matter how slight, must also be provided (Ketchen & Short, 2010).

Implementing new management ideas through the use of teams may be an effective means of gaining acceptance, especially when used in a team effort to solve a problem. Consideration must be given to the composition of the team when evaluating the outcome. As Mehta, Field, and Armenakis (2009) explain, performance-avoid teams will do whatever they must to avoid failure while performance-prove teams will try to prove their abilities to others. Both of these teams should be required to document any deviations from the directed processes, which ultimately will add value to the finalized process.

Another aspect of initiating and promoting new management ideas in contemporary society is the empowerment of those being asked to change behaviors. As Ketchen and Short (2010) explain, managers do not always know how well a new idea may work while those employees who will ultimately implement any changes will often have valuable insight to provide. Engaging those whose behavior will be impacted is the key to identifying changes that are more likely to add value from those that will wind up as short-lived fads.