Editorial
| Date | 14 August 2017 |
| Published date | 14 August 2017 |
| Pages | 153-154 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-06-2017-0033 |
| Author | Javier Bajer |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
Editorial
Javier Bajer
Can culture really have strategy for breakfast?
Yes, it can, but unfortunately it often does not. The reason most organisations struggle to
change cultures is that their approach is superficial, only skimming the surface and
producing no real change.
Why? There are three reasons why this happens:
1. Lack of true understanding of human behaviour: There is a widespread belief that
people change because we tell them to. Or ever worse, that they will change
behaviours if we use the right sticks and carrots. Telling, measuring, punishing and
rewarding behaviours are all based on psychological models that became popular
in the industrial era. These models ignore the advances we have seen in recent
years in the fields of Behavioural Economics, Neurosciences and Social
Psychology.
2. Fear of dealing with difficult decisions: Sometimes changing culture can be uncomfortable.
Stopping rituals, disarming power games and increasing transparency can cause turmoil
in organisations. To avoid this, many will opt for cosmetic-type interventions making sure
nothing really changes.
3. Belief that people do not change: Some believe that humans cannot and would not
change. They describe people as belonging to neat categories and blame
recruitment for their bad luck. Of course, these people will live in a very predictable
world, where culture is just an afterthought.
In this issue of Strategic HR Review, we are sharing a few examples of colleagues who are
changing the cultures of their organisations. It is my hope that they inspire you in a variety
of ways:
In Creating a Growth Mindset, Ian Johnston examines how HR professionals can
take ownership of their organizations’ cultural space and help to instill a “growth
mindset” open to change.
In Listening to Drive Culture Change, Philipp Schramm shows how his company
turned around its fractured culture by igniting a cultural revolution fueled by
listening and employee engagement.
In Culture: A Key Ingredient in Business Success, Kevin Silva explains how his
company leveraged a culture change initiative to support a major organizational
spinoff and re-branding.
And in Unlocking the Value of HR to Drive a Change-Ready Culture,
Campbell Macpherson presents lessons learned while transforming his
“fragmented, ineffective” HR department through an organization-wide culture
change program.
DOI 10.1108/SHR-06-2017-0033 VOL. 16 NO. 4 2017, pp. 153-154, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 STRATEGIC HR REVIEW PAGE 153
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