What is organizational culture?

An organizational culture corresponds to a set of beliefs integrated by a critical mass of employees at the level of the values and functioning of the organization.

There is not just one form of organizational culture: we can talk about a culture of inclusion and diversity, a culture of learning, a type of management, etc. However, this culture guides the interpretation and reactions that employees have to various organizational events and initiatives, thus having a considerable impact on their outcomes .

For example, why do experts believe that changes, especially major ones, are more successful in some organizations than others?

In some cases, where a culture of cynicism has taken hold, employees expect little support or flexibility and will have to meet performance expectations that will remain high.

In this context, change will be experienced as a pressure on their role and on the functioning of the systems in place. It is obvious that change will be less well received than in a context where the same employees expect effective implementation, to obtain the necessary support and a general approach that is respectful of their reality.

Another example concerns learning and innovation.

When an organization has a reputation for being open to new ideas and initiatives, where different approaches are valued and, above all, where the right to make mistakes is recognized, we can expect employees to be more invested in their own development and in improving the processes in place. They will then tend to apply their learning, as well as to be creative in the way they accomplish their tasks.

While results may not always be there, they can lead to the identification of methods that will enable efficiency gains. However, for such benefits to be observable, employees must be convinced that risk-taking and innovation are valued within the organization.

Establish or change an organizational culture

Although it may seem simple to convey a message through various communication channels, establishing (or changing) an organizational culture actually requires a lot of effort. It must be the subject of a consensus and a real and shared belief among employees , which cannot emerge if they have reasons not to always truly believe what the organization communicates.

It cannot be imposed and it is not enough to communicate it. Rather, employees must "live" the new ways of doing things for a certain period, since it is only in this way that a sufficient number of them will come to believe in the shift that has been initiated.

The approach to be recommended is therefore one of an experiential nature where employees will come to observe, accept and then recognize the change of direction initiated.

At first, employees may be surprised, while efforts will have to be made to manage the changes and then maintain them until they become the new normal. It will take some persistence to gradually revise employees' perception of the organization and its functioning.

The exercise is all the more difficult if the previous culture was deeply ingrained or if employees have reason to believe that the change is only superficial or will be short-lived.

In other words, the organization that wants to change its culture has an interest in arming itself with patience, reflecting on its deep identity, then reviewing the way it operates and what it prioritizes.

In this sense, managers who simply wish to use this lever to obtain various benefits or those who wish to quickly observe repercussions would be better off turning to other levers of action, since organizational culture is closely linked to the identity, priorities and fundamental mode of operation of the organization and to the way in which these are perceived by local stakeholders.

Despite the effort and time it requires, adjusting or changing an organizational culture represents a major lever for any organization that wishes to evolve.

Such changes are far from superficial, since they often modify the very identity of an organization in a lasting way and can therefore represent the change of direction that some organizations need.