Organizational Development

Creating strategic fit through organizational culture

The long term success of a merger, acquisition, or any major strategic change depends on a sound business strategy and on the content and strength of the supporting organizational culture. Past research has shown that many change initiatives do not live up to expectations because the human side of change is neglected or ignored (de Brabandere, 2005; Grant, 2010; Porter, 1998).

A new organizational culture should transform the strategic vision into long term attitudes and behaviors and help individuals deal with ambiguity and uncertainty. Given the rapid pace of change, it makes sense that employees at every level see change as an opportunity to question prior assumptions, to appreciate new perspectives, and to use these insights to develop skills and behaviors. Creativity and interest need to be stronger than fear and anxiety.

Ideally, the outcome of an organizational culture transformation should be performance goals, behavioral rules, and a common language that will make collaboration, people management, and client relations more efficient and effective.

In this quest, we support CEO’s, Top Management Teams, and HR Departments:

• Identify the key components of organizational culture (e.g., people management skills, client relationship practices and attitudes, values, rituals) to determine how the “old” cultures can provide both opportunities and challenges for the new vision and strategy
• Create a common language for effective collaboration within the organization and coherent communication with external clients and stakeholders
• Provide training and development that will increase empowerment and responsibility throughout the organization and develop people management skills
• Support the change process by building trust and fostering mutual understanding
• Provide measurement scales and data for continuous progress monitoring

The Approach

Interventions and solutions can only be effective if management teams are committed to coherent and pragmatic policies and practices and employees learn to take responsibility for their own behavior. It is crucial to work on both sides of the equation. An external view can ensure that this balance is measured and maintained.