{"id":331,"date":"2022-07-05T15:30:26","date_gmt":"2022-07-05T12:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/?p=331"},"modified":"2022-07-05T21:07:34","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T18:07:34","slug":"how-to-start-a-movement-to-change-your-companys-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/2022\/07\/05\/how-to-start-a-movement-to-change-your-companys-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"How to start a movement to change your company&#8217;s culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/hannah-busing-Zyx1bK9mqmA-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/hannah-busing-Zyx1bK9mqmA-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dev-word.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/hannah-busing-Zyx1bK9mqmA-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dev-word.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/hannah-busing-Zyx1bK9mqmA-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dev-word.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/hannah-busing-Zyx1bK9mqmA-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/dev-word.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/hannah-busing-Zyx1bK9mqmA-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/dev-word.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/hannah-busing-Zyx1bK9mqmA-unsplash-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Intro<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve worked for a few years, you&#8217;ve probably had the back luck of running into an organization with a toxic culture. Or maybe the culture was not toxic, but it wasn&#8217;t great either &#8211; it kept going on a steady course, and nothing extraordinary made it rise above mediocrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These situations often trigger a sense of expectation from the organization&#8217;s leadership team. We naturally feel that if they lead the company, they are also responsible for our well-being. While this is true, most leaders wouldn&#8217;t even know there is a problem, and some wouldn&#8217;t even care &#8211; after all, things have worked like this so far. So why should they bother now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This situation raises anger in most employees, especially the dedicated and talented ones. The best advice would be to run off and find a company with a culture that suits your values. Or, if you&#8217;re on cruise control, just ignore everything and go with the flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if you decide to stay and do something about it, here are some steps on how you could start changing the culture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Understand the current culture<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve made it so far, you probably feel part of a not-so-great culture. Before taking action, you need to become an&nbsp;<strong>impartial observer<\/strong>. Emotions can be very deceiving and, when not identified and appropriately treated, may lead to wrong perceptions and bad decisions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you become a &#8220;legitimate&#8221; observer, it is time to analyze the current state of your culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Find what&#8217;s missing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Start with what you think is missing&nbsp;and determine the source of the events in retrospect.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Is it a recurring situation?&nbsp;<\/li><li>Does it happen to anyone else?&nbsp;<\/li><li>Did you hear anyone else complaining about these things?&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These questions could be helpful remove subjectiveness from your analysis. In some companies, people might be afraid to speak up, so you might as well just ask them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Test the mission, vision, and values<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not having any is a big <strong>red<\/strong> flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Are they connecting to what&#8217;s happening?&nbsp;<\/li><li>Is the decision-making process based on this system?&nbsp;<\/li><li>Do people enforce the culture through artifacts, stories, or behaviors?<\/li><li>Is anything missing or, worse, contradicting the culture?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Analyze behaviors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch the interactions and behaviors&nbsp;of the people. Interactions and behaviors seem like an open book as you walk &#8220;through&#8221; your culture. Scanning and analyzing how people behave can reveal a great deal of information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Do they follow a particular pattern when it comes to decision-making?<\/li><li>Are they communicating effectively?<\/li><li>Are feedback and knowledge sharing part of the culture?<\/li><li>How are they dealing with the crisis?<\/li><li>Are people more self-oriented or team-oriented?<\/li><li>What&#8217;s the level of politics or gossip?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Map processes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Map processes and practices&nbsp;for a better understanding. This refers to both documented and undocumented patterns people follow in dealing with situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How strict are the processes?<\/li><li>What&#8217;s the level of freedom in decision-making?<\/li><li>Is it a flat structure or a hierarchic structure?<\/li><li>Is there an onboarding process?<\/li><li>How does the reward and recognition system work?<\/li><li>How is the performance evaluated?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Research history<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Look into the company history and its stakeholders. Try to find out where the company comes from, who&#8217;s leading it, and why they would choose to have a culture like that. There could be many hidden reasons behind it that may not be obvious at first glance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Are the leaders intentionally choosing and fostering this culture?<\/li><li>How risky is it to start acting differently?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is essential to clarify before proceeding, as your actions may lead to your firing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Define your movement<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve identified how things are and how people behave, it is time to define what you would do differently, why, and how these changes will help people in the future. Remember that movements are not about yourself but the people joining the movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Branch out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Do not drift from the vision and mission. While values might change to adopt a more effective way to operate, the mission and vision are the reason the company exists. While there is a temptation to come up with a better mission and vision, keep in mind that this is&nbsp;<strong>not<\/strong>&nbsp;your organization, and you are only doing this to improve the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Think critically<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Be frank about how changes will fit the current context. While researching what you can do to improve the company culture, you&#8217;ll end up reading a lot of exciting ideas. Over the last years, the information on company culture just exploded, and there aren&#8217;t good or wrong decisions you can make &#8211; just decisions that are a good fit for the given context. For example, promoting an&nbsp;<em>unlimited-vacation-days policy<\/em>&nbsp;is ineffective in companies where people have low intrinsic motivation for their work or don&#8217;t believe in the company&#8217;s mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tell a story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no movement without a great story. To sell your ideas, you need an inspiring story about how things will be in the future and what great life everyone will have if you succeed. This is your advertising, and the culture is your product. Reaching prospective &#8220;clients&#8221; and turning them into members of your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Tribes-We-Need-You-Lead\/dp\/1491514736\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Tribes-We-Need-You-Lead\/dp\/1491514736\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tribe<\/a> is your number one priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Be heretic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Be a bold leader. People do not join the movement for you; they do it for themselves. To become an inspiring leader and make people believe in the movement&#8217;s mission, you need to get 110%&nbsp;<strong>passionate<\/strong>&nbsp;about your goal and 120%&nbsp;<strong>devoted<\/strong>&nbsp;to your success. You need to assess that failure is not an option, and you will do whatever it takes to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Create a clique<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Beginnings are the most challenging part of any project and can become a demotivating factor. Challenging the status quo is not easy; change will always be interpreted as a &#8220;bad&#8221; thing because it threatens stability, and you&#8217;ll definitely meet with resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Core-team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>First, find a few people to sell your story. These people might be the co-workers you spend time with or your teammates. You don&#8217;t need to convince everyone, and you surely won&#8217;t. So the first step is to&nbsp;<strong>test<\/strong>&nbsp;your hypothesis and see how many people are willing to contribute. The second step is to reach a&nbsp;<strong>15-17%<\/strong>&nbsp;adoption rate of the total number of the team, department, or company employees, depending on your scenario.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Caveat: if you plan to change the company&#8217;s culture, it is better to start converting your team, then other groups, and then the whole department before going global.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep repeating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Set the story on repeat. The story of your movement should be played every day, with every occasion. Keep reminding people why they&#8217;re doing this, why it matters what they do and what the end will be like. Faith is a critical factor, especially in long-term endeavors. Changing the culture is not a few-days task. It will take time, and people need to be reminded why they do what they do to stay motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Foster the network<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Convince others to convince others. Once you have a small, stable clique, you can expand and start talking to other people from other teams or departments. Listen to their problems and emphasize by telling them you had the same issues and solved them with the new culture and how you&#8217;re doing things differently in your team. The advice you offer, hopefully, will start expanding around the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Find an enemy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In some cases, a villain can help strengthen the need for change. Unfortunately, scapegoating is embedded in our nature. People love finding reasons or excuses for their current situation instead of doing something about it. The enemy could be the current culture or some individuals who are not compliant with how things should be. Creating a tunnel for negative energy toward a villain can instill a sense of battle and a desire to win. But be careful &#8211; this road can also lead to undesired results if not handled well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Build artifacts<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brand your movement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you have a mission and a crew, it&#8217;s time to brand your image into something tangible. You should give your unit a name and maybe create a logo. T-shirts, mugs, bookmarks, backpacks, office toys &#8211; everything you can think of should be transformed into an artifact of the new culture. A rewarding system might boost the group&#8217;s energy, such as giving prizes to people who recruit other people or who achieve essential milestones in your strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make it personal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Artifacts are powerful and create a sense of belonging and cohesion inside the group. But making some of them personal has even a bigger impact. For example, you could collect funny statements from your peers that you can print on bookmarks. You could also create artifacts relative to specific individuals&#8217; unique skills. For example, you could create a brooch with an &#8220;ambassador&#8221; icon for someone good at influencing others into joining the movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mark important moments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Celebrating wins attracts the desired behavior in your movement. Therefore, you should not miss any opportunity to recognize and reward such moments with unique artifacts such as medals, trophies, or nameplates. These items are best offered in a ceremony. Watch out for competition at this step, as others may start to feel they&#8217;ve been mistreated. Try to be clear about what an important moment is and what it takes to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Make it visible<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show off<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you have the whole arsenal, it&#8217;s time to show it to the world. Wear your artifacts proudly and be sure others notice your culture. You should let the new culture express itself as much as possible. You&#8217;ll probably meet with criticism and negativity but don&#8217;t worry. This is just a sign that you&#8217;re on a good path. People do that when they feel threatened or scared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Promote<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You should make the most of any chance you get and talk about how you&#8217;re doing things now, how impressive your processes are since you&#8217;ve joined this movement and how good you think the future will be if everyone does what you do. This is when recruiting is at its full potential, and it&#8217;s practically self-sustaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Close the circle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It is good to make public the great parts of the new culture and let others know and use them. However, there should also be some &#8220;members-only&#8221; activities. This makes members feel rewarded and appreciated while instilling in others the desire to have that experience. These activities might include personal development workshops, work-related workshops, outside-the-office activities such as parties or team buildings, and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Changing the culture is possible even when you&#8217;re not in charge or in a top-level position. Leadership is built on influence, not authority. As long as you believe in your mission and foster a community of belonging, you have all the chances to succeed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Change is about innovation. Take the lead and provoke the status quo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Intro If you&#8217;ve worked for a few years, you&#8217;ve probably had the back luck of running into an organization with a toxic culture. Or maybe the culture was not toxic, but it wasn&#8217;t great either &#8211; it kept going on a steady course, and nothing extraordinary made it rise above mediocrity. These situations often trigger&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,54,14],"tags":[55,27,75,70],"class_list":["post-331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-organizational-management","category-team-management","tag-culture","tag-leadership","tag-movement","tag-team-power"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":342,"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions\/342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev-word.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}