As per Deloitte's survey, 82 percent of the respondents believed culture is a potential competitive advantage.

 

BY DEFAULT, THINGS MAY FALL IN PLACE, BUT BY DESIGN, THERE ARE HIGHER CHANCES THAT THINGS WILL GET PLACED IN THE RIGHT PLACE!

 

Culture is designed and defined by each organization depending on various factors. It's not only essential to keep the organization prepared to change but people too. An organization may not win the game over the unexpected but will be adequately positioned to manage and sail through.

 

In my opinion, LEAD stands: Learn from the past, Enable the organization and people, Adapt as and when needed and Demonstrate authenticity. Any individual or organization that is planning a cultural transformation has to be thoughtful of the said L.E.A.D. factors. Culture, per se, is the weakest yet strongest pillar of any organization. 

 

Defining a path for a cultural transformation is the most daunting task for any business enabler. The transformation must be considered a continuous process that will change, adapt, and evolve with time and need. Things take time, and this one probably may take longer than expected. When speaking of cultural transformation, I am using an acronym of CULTURE to highlight the factors organizations should consider while drafting their strategies:

 

Conscious (WHY): Change, transformation or inception; is well delivered and accepted if a PURPOSE is attached. It's imperative to have a reason for doing something; that's the only way to buy in support and acceptance from all the stakeholders. People believe and become a part of a drive when they know why this is needed.

Unbiased (How): The most challenging part is to step out of one's comfort zone. Without realizing it, we unintentionally push our preferences while drafting a new phase for the organization. We wish to include what we feel is suitable and needed, not what is required strategically. The strategy will fetch better results when the foundation and start are based on the need of the people and the organization and not on a group's perception, assumption, and decisions, in this case, management or leadership team.

 

Linked (WHOM): Deloitte survey showcased that only 12 percent of executives recognize their companies are encouraging the "right culture," and just 19 percent of executives believe their organization has the "right culture.” Connecting the dots is essential; nothing will ever work in a silo, no matter if we even end up creating a masterpiece. People, process, the purpose has to be neatly linked to each other when organizations plan to make that switch. Without proper sync, organizations can’t expect uniformity, and when it's with loose ends, it worsens the scenario by disturbing everything. People have to be the core as they will drive the change and get driven by the same.

 

Timely (When): Rightly, they say that THERE IS A RIGHT TIME FOR EVERYTHING TO HAPPEN, same is for organizations to make things happen. Strategists have to realize that timing is crucial to create a positive impact and a culture that can become better with passing days. If your people are not there and you have already reached, or your people are way ahead, and you haven't even started, it will turn out to be a disaster. "IN-TIME" approach is THE approach. Know your people, company, capabilities, limitations, possibilities, need to embrace digitalization & automation to be on track when needed. Need of the time is TIME, not late or early but in time. The organization has to PREPARE proactively, but implementation has to be timely.

 

Unique (WHICH): Which is the perfect Cultural transformation strategy for any organization? What's yours? Can we blindly adopt what others are doing and grow exponentially great? The answer for sure is NO! No one solution can fit all within an organization, and here we are talking about different organizations. Like culture, the Change process also has to be unique and sensitive towards the people's acceptance, impact, and emotions. It should always depict "US/WE," not "They /I." Be a part of the game, not the rule maker but as a player. Culture is personal; showcase that. It's critical to stay unique when defining the process as it will directly impact the people involved. It will determine their life in the organization.

 

Realigned (WHERE): Where to start from? Transformation means redo the entire thing or identify pockets that seek attention and change? Many organizations assume that TRANSFORMATION MEANS CHANGING EVERYTHING TO A NEW WORLD. Leaders have to be careful at this junction as there must be practices that keep people and organization together and focused; a complete makeover may become a colossal failure if we clean the board entirely and start fresh. Identification of pain areas remains the main task of this change. INTROSPECT!

 

Engaging (WHAT): What any organization does matters most and is received well if it can pull people towards the initiative launched. As per Gallup's State of the American Workplace report, deeply engaged organizations obtain 59 percent less employee turnover. People want to know what's their role is, how they can contribute, how it will impact them, what has to be done, when and why. Only the organization answering all these questions can win employees' confidence, participation, acceptance, and contribution. Feedback plays a pivotal role here; organizations do remember to make their transformation strategies participative, sometimes or mostly, they miss building a feedback path to hear from people and relook at the approach to timely remodel if needed. 

 

Plan real; perfection is a myth. No culture will last forever and fit the bill most customarily. People are changing, so is the environment around us. Perspectives are shifting at a pace that we never imagined; hence transformation will be a continuous journey any organization will continue circling in. Cultural transformation shouldn't be the last possibility to save your culture when it's falling apart or has failed. Instead, Organizations should focus on the need to adapt to empower people and achieve their strategic goals.

 

Copy-paste is very prevalent today concerning people and business models; the only aspect any organization can retain as REAL is the CULTURE. Other organizations can't replicate core principles and values because it's impossible to decode one's secret magic potion. It's PERSONAL! More than the culture, the readiness to change when seeking change is the miraculous quotient that keeps winning organizations ahead of others. Any transformational journey will primarily depend on the culture of the organization. 

When it changes; it changes everything! Think and invest well!

 

If we change nothing; nothing will change!