The Insider's Guide to Culture Change: Creating a Workplace That Delivers, Grows, and Adapts

by Siobhan McHale

Overview

Culture transformation expert Siobhan McHale defines culture simply: “It’s how things work around here.” The secret to the success or failure of any business boils down to its culture.

From disengaged employees to underserved customers, business failures invariably stem from a culture problem. In The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change, acclaimed culture transformation expert and global executive Siobhan McHale shares her proven four-step process to demystifying culture transformation and starting down the path to positive change.

Many leaders and managers struggle to get a handle on exactly what culture is and how pervasive its impact is throughout an organization. Some try to change the culture by publishing a statement of core values but soon find that no meaningful change happens.

Others try to unify the culture around a set of shared goals that satisfy shareholders but find their efforts backfire as stressed employees throw their hands up because “leadership just doesn’t get it.” Others implement expensive new IT systems to try to bring about change, only to find that employees find “workarounds” and soon go back to their old ways.

The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change walks readers through McHale’s four-step process to culture transformation, including how to:

• Understand what “corporate culture” really is and how it impacts every aspect of the way your organization operates
• Analyze where your culture is broken or not adding maximum value
• Unlock the power of reframing roles within your company to empower and engage your employees
• Utilize proven methods and tools to break through deeply embedded patterns and change your company mind-set
• Keep the momentum going by consolidating gains and maintaining your foot on the change accelerator

With The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change, watch your employees go from followers to change leaders who drive an agile culture that constantly outperforms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781400251452
Publisher:	HarperCollins Leadership
Publication date:	07/16/2024
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Siobhan McHale has worked across four continents, helping thousands of leaders to create more agile and productive workplaces. She also has been on the “inside” as the executive in charge of culture change in a series of large, multinational organizations. One of these inside jobs was a radical seven-year change initiative at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) Bank that transformed it from the lowest-performing bank in the country into one of the highest-performing and most admired banks in the world. Professor John Kotter used her work with ANZ as a Harvard Business School case study designed to teach MBA students about managing change.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Preface: Two Life-Changing Moments xvii

Chapter 1 Learn the Insider's Secret the Culture Disruptor 1

Understanding the Power of Culture 3

Seizing the Ultimate Competitive Advantage 5

Activating the Culture Disruptor 8

Diagnosing What's Really Going On 9

Reframing Roles 11

Breaking Out of Deeply Embedded Patterns 14

Consolidating Gains with the Culture Disruptor 15

Chapter 2 Understand Workplace Culture Debunking the Myths About Culture 19

Busting the Big Myth about Workplace Culture 20

Focusing on the Three Key Elements of Culture 22

Redrawing Mental Maps 23

Taking Up the Right Roles 24

Disrupting the Patterns 26

Understanding Patterns at a Deeper Level 28

Learning to See Patterns 31

Recognizing the Influence of Societal Patterns 35

Chapter 3 Prepare for Change

Diagnosing Your Current Business Environment 39

Scanning the Marketplace 41

Seeing the Threats on the Horizon 43

Going Beyond Good 46

Accurately Assessing Your Business Needs 48

Deciding How You Will Measure Progress 52

Chapter 4 Diagnose the Current Culture

Looking for the Big Patterns 55

Learning by Walking Around 56

Pressing the Pause Button 59

Gathering Multiple Perspectives 60

Adding Up the Numbers 63

Understanding How People Interpret Their Experiences 65

Seeing the Big Patterns 66

Chapter 5 Reframe the Roles

Turning Everyone in the Organization into a Change Leader 71

Knowing What You Can and Cannot Change 72

Taking Up Your Role as Change Leader 76

Turning the Leadership Group into Change Leaders 79

Mobilizing Business Units to Change 82

Aligning Employees with the Mission 85

Chapter 6 Take Charge of the Journey

Becoming an Inspiring Change Leader 91

Learning from Pattern-Breaking Leaders 92

Tackling Deeply Embedded Patterns 99

Making a Compelling Case for Change 103

Planning for Change 105

Testing the Waters 107

Chapter 7 Engage the Entire Organization Mobilizing the People Who Do the Work 109

Making the Work Meaningful 110

Choosing the Right People 113

Turning Everyone into a Problem Solver 114

Keeping the Teams Eyes on the Prize 117

Mastering the Art of Constructive Feedback 121

Chapter 8 Align Processes, Policies, and Procedures

Designing New Work Systems and Spaces 125

Embracing the Digital Future 127

Pine-Tuning Performance and Reward Systems 131

Aligning the Three Ps 134

Remodeling the Business 137

Tailoring Workspaces to Suit the Culture 139

Chapter 9 Gather Change Momentum

Enabling the Change to Spread Rapidly 143

Dealing with the Blockers 144

Understanding the Reasons for Your Culture's Assumptions 148

Getting Past Middle Management 150

Changing the Story 154

Employing Powerful Symbols to Reinforce the Change 156

Chapter 10 Consolidate Gains

Embedding the Emerging Culture 159

Maintaining an Unswerving Dedication to the Change Effort 161

Measuring Your Progress 163

Building Your Change Capability 166

Watching Out for the Old Patterns 169

Maintaining Your Energy Levels along the Way 172

Remaining Resilient through the Change Journey 174

Conclusion: Turning Change into Future Success 177

Index 181

About the Author 186

Editorial Reviews

'Culture is often regarded as a mystery. Yet this Pandora's box of myths and fallacies is critical to business performance. Through the expert eyes of Siobhan McHale we clearly see how culture uniquely contributes to performance on every level. Whether you are a startup or an established international enterprise, you cannot afford to ignore this better, faster, easier way to enduring success.' —RICHARD HAMES, writer, futurist, and Executive Director of the Centre for the Future

'Culture is the operating system our companies run on. Those who ignore its tremendous power to drive business results do so at their peril. Siobhan McHale's book is an indispens - able guide to making culture work for you rather than against you, and her four-step model to culture change is a vital tool for anyone seeking to make change happen at work.' —AGA BAJER, culture strategist, author, and CultureLab podcast creator

'If you are a leader who wants to build an enduring company where people go to work, are happy, and deliver exceptional results, read this book. It is filled with Siobhan McHale's 'insider' case studies and her groundbreaking four-step approach to culture change.' —GARRY RIDGE, Chief Executive Officer, WD-40 Company

'Much wise advice and vital information from a master of organizational culture change.' — RICHARD BARRETT , founder of the Barrett Values Centre and the Academy for the Advancement of Human Values

'Siobhan's methods will be transformational to unlocking culture change efforts across the world. This is a highly practical methodology from someone who has actually been through the process from the inside.' — CAROLYN TAYLOR, global culture change pioneer and author of bestselling Walking the Talk: Building a Culture for Success

From the Publisher