Culture change is behavior change...
Behaviors are talked about in organizational culture, but rarely with much rigor. Even when mentioned, there is little written about how to define and work with behaviors, or on how to analyze the drivers of those behaviors using an evidence-based approach.
If you are working on culture change, you will benefit from understanding behavior and knowing that If the behaviors aren’t chnaging, the culture isn’t either.
The challenge is in systematically identifying which behaviors define the current culture and which need to change to align with the desired culture.
If we want to help organizations with change (which is constant by the way) and culture, we have to focus on behaviors and on the system to enable those behaviors.
We can't put all the responsibility on the individual to change if the organization is not supporting them by changing things in the system.
My process when helping companies with culture change, comprises two parts:
First, I do a Culture Assessment - You can do this by looking at different dimensions to understand whether current values align with the behaviors that are being modeled, for example - are the right behaviors being done, or are there others we need to encourage or change?
Second, I do a Behavioral Gap Analysis - After you do the assessment, you identify the behavioral drivers that need attention and align them with the organization’s capabilities.
This creates a "dashboard" for change that connects specific strategies with the behaviors and drivers we’ve identified.
By combining behavioral/cultural and organizational frameworks you ensure that the interventions are evidence-based and actionable.
Working on your company culture doesnt have to be fluffy it just needs to be tangible, systematic, and evidence-based.
Remember, whenever you are working on change, you need to account for context: the system, the formal/informal structures, and the strategic goals of the organization.
You also need to analyze the drivers of behavior, use mixed methods, and run experiments to continuously learn and refine the process.
One Book I liked was this one from Patty McCord - a nice Case Study in Culture