Considerations Changing Organization Cultures

12manage reaches 100.000 members

Eight considerations to consider when you are changing the culture of an organization. Explanation of Changing Organization Cultures of Trice and Beyer. ('93)

"Because it entails introducing something new and substantially different from what prevails in existing cultures, cultural innovation is (...) more difficult than cultural maintenance. When innovation occurs, some things replace or displace others... People often resist such changes. They have good reasons to. The successful management of the processes of culture change or culture creation often entails convincing people that likely gains outweigh the losses".

In their excellent book "The Cultures of Work Organizations", Harrison Trice and Janice Beyer provide a number of ideas that you should remember and consider when you are changing the culture of an organization:

Eight considerations to keep in mind when changing organization cultures

1. Capitalize on Propitious Moments. For example poor financial performance. Make sure people actually perceive the need for change.

2. Combine Caution with Optimism. Create an optimistic outlook regarding what the change effort will bring.

3. Understand Resistance to Culture Change. Both at the individual level [fear of the unknown, self-interest, selective attention and retention, habit, dependence, need for security] and at the organizational or group level [threats to power and influence, lack of trust, different perceptions and goals, social disruption, resource limitations, fixed investments, interorganizational agreements].

4. Change Many Elements, But Maintain Some Continuity. For example identify the principles that will remain constant.

5. Recognize the Importance of Implementation. Initial acceptance and enthusiasm are insufficient to carry change forward:

   • adoption
   • implementation
   • institutionalization.

6. Select, Modify, and Create Appropriate Cultural Forms. Employing symbols, rituals, languages, stories, myths, metaphors, rites, ceremonies.

7. Modify Socialization Tactics. The primary way that people learn the corporate culture is through the socialization process at the beginning of their employment. Because of that, if these socialization processes are changed, an organization's culture will begin to change.

8. Find and Cultivate Innovative Leadership. Members are unlikely to give up whatever secure stability they derive from existing cultures and follow a leader in new directions unless that leader exudes self-confidence, has strong convictions, a dominant personality, and can preach the new vision with drama and eloquence.

Book: Harrison Trice and Janice Beyer - The Cultures of Work Organizations -

Changing Organization Cultures Special Interest Group

Visit the Special Interest Group

Changing Organization Cultures Forum

- South Africa

Changing Organization Culture is Hard

"Changing the culture of an organization seems like a tall order especially if the organization has been in existence for a while with many long serving employees. How can one overhaul such an organization including top management?"

0

Peter Makwasha - Zimbabwe

Organizational Development:: HR Aspects

"What are the human resource aspects of strategic change?"

0

- Indonesia

Changing Cultural Paradigm in Higher Education Without Changing the Organization

"We are facing the need to promote the implementation of a quality assurance system and mechanism towards a future dynamic state of continuous improvement (Kaizen) in our higher education management. Indeed, anyway, it is such a new cultural paradigm, to be compared to those former habits which had been proven as ineffective, inefficient, but, on the other hand, it had been the whole world as well as the community way of life and living. The task firstly challenged by the resistance of the community, against the idea of change. What are your suggestions to the initiator of change?"

0

- China

What is the critical element to start?

"Culture like habit, if they are already used to the current situation, how to start?"

1

Karl - Germany

Manipulating Employees?

"Is this way of planned dealing with (changing) organization cultures not in fact a way to manipulate the work, minds and values of employees? If yes, is this manipulation allowed, as changing the culture of an organization can be such a challenging and crucial task for its survival?"

7

Comment on this Page

Changing Organization Cultures Education & Events

Compare with the Eight Considerations towards Changing Organizational Cultures:  Levels of Culture  |  Culture Types  |  Cultural Intelligence  |  Organizational Memory  |  DICE Framework  |  Change Management Iceberg  |  Servant-Leadership  |  Appreciative Inquiry  |  Positive Deviance  |  Change Phases  |  Six Change Approaches  |  Force Field Analysis  |  Core Group Theory  |  Planned Behavior  |  Organizational Learning  |  Leadership Continuum  |  Change Model Beckhard  |  Contingency Theory  |  Groupthink  |  Spiral of Silence  |  Forget Borrow Learn  |  RACI  |  Positive Deviance

Return to Management Hub: Change & Organization  |  Communication & Skills  |  Ethics & Responsibility  |  Human Resources  |  Leadership  |  Program & Project Management

More Management Methods, Models and Theory