The post-pandemic era has brought a wave of changes with it. Businesses in every industry are changing in some or another way. The secret of successful and fruitful changes lies in the establishment of a strong culture that supports these changes.

Business leaders are faced with a three-dimensional transformation that includes embracing new digital technologies, the development of new business models, and the adoption of new processes. They increasingly rely on culture change management with Performance by Design to withstand and thrive through this transformation.

Culture change is dynamic and inevitable. Leaders need to understand that it will happen in the organization even if they do nothing to support and channel it correctly. Bringing in new technologies and business models is a need for survival which certainly changes the mindset, behavior, and values of your workforce.

Such unguided change can bring everything down in the blink of an eye. To ensure a productive and profitable change, leaders have to also plan and guide culture change throughout the path. Here are some basic principles of culture change that ensure greater performance.

  • Responsibility of culture change needs the leader

Culture change needs a face and voice that is seen, heard, and followed throughout the organization. Senior executives have to embrace the new culture first and then be the ambassadors for its implementation. They must align themselves with the new culture, balance it, communicate it, demonstrate it, and empower it to show their genuine support to it.

  • Answer the ‘why’ before you go deeper

It is important to articulate clearly and explain effectively, why the change is necessary and why the company cannot go without it. It is crucial to bring all the employees and critical stakeholders on the same page before you embark on your culture change journey. Clarifying things from the beginning will avoid anxiety, confusion, and resistance in later stages and ensure smooth implementation.

  • Clearly define the values and behavior you target

Having a clear vision of where you want to go and what you want to achieve is crucial for all endeavors and so is for organizational culture change. You need to specifically define the behavior and values that your people should adhere to. However, it is also important to keep some level of flexibility to shape and align the organization’s performance.

  • Engage people to get positive inputs

People always have a sense of ownership for what they have created. For that reason, engaging people and making them the creators and drivers of the new culture is the key to successful implementation.

Creating a network of passionate front-line workers and managers as culture champions can bring about excellent outcomes of the comprehensive culture change process. Also establishing a rewarding culture for those who are making a difference can further encourage the change.

  • Build a seamless bridge to the culture you desire in the future

No organization wants to abruptly change all its values and believes, ignoring the fundamental elements that have been their strength and drive their success.

For instance, you would like to develop a customer-centric and data-driven culture, however, you would stick to the values like collaborative working.

Culture change management must ensure to create a bridge between the past and the future by retaining existing strengths and inculcating and nurturing new culture.