Summary of key points arising from case study

Summary of key points arising from case study

• It is important to create a sense of urgency and momentum when a major cultural change is required. In this case study, the senior management team made a strong start, and put in the effort to keep things going. This required many people to be involved and energized, and for the number of people involved to keep growing.

• Commitment to culture change cannot be developed by e-mail, or by memo. It has to be done face to face and in real time. Cultural change is achieved through action rather than words, so people need to see their managers doing it as well as talking about it. In this case study there was a lot of face-to-face straight talking.

• Breaking the mould is hard work! It involves planning and thinking and role modelling, plus developing and implementing supporting processes and policies.

• New teams provide new opportunities. Bridges (see Chapter 4) describes the neutral zone as a time of tremendous creative opportunities. Similarly we have noticed that new senior management teams such as the one featured in this case study are more likely to be able to change an organizational culture because they themselves are changing.

• Supporting individuals is not soft! The hard work involved in facing the real issues one to one with people pays off. It builds trust and ensures understanding. But it takes courage, especially when change involves the communication of unwelcome and painful news. Even when change appears to offer hope for a brighter and better future, some may not see it that way.