Embarking on a Culture Change Initiative? 3 Keys to Success

Culture can be defined as the set of beliefs and behaviours of an organisation’s workforce. It is created from the messages that are received about how people are expected to behave. Cultures bind people together through shared goals, beliefs, approaches, routines, needs and values. Peer pressure helps behavioural norms develop over time, and these are influenced by the type of work performed, organisational history, successes and failures, physical conditions, the workplace environment and the demands of external entities such as customers, stakeholders, economic conditions etc. But the strongest influence on cultural norms are the senior leaders and managers within an organisation. It is the messages and the behaviours of this group that is most influential in shaping the culture of an organisation.