Change Management and Culture Shaping Within an Organization

In a recent blog post for his company, Better Change, ALJ Guide Bent Myllerup explores the factors that go into successful change management and the difference between a more traditional approach and an agile approach. He breaks down the complexities of shaping culture and why leadership plays such a vital role. 

Managing individual dynamics within an organization

Myllerup gives a great analogy to organizations, comparing them to a flock of birds. There is not one bird leading the flock and telling each individual what to do. In fact, each bird is acting on its own accord and cannot be controlled by the leader, and their behavior is unpredictable. The same is true in organizations. Ultimately, each member of the team is going to act on their own, but how they choose to behave affects the whole. 

Without direction or control, the birds in the flock intuitively fall into a synergy with one another. What is interesting is that three things happen: 

1. The birds become aware of their distance to the other birds
2. They begin to fly at a constant velocity relative to the other birds
3. They go towards the safest place — the center of the flock.

Interestingly enough, people within organizations behave the same way. This is why it is important for leadership to groom the ecosystem toward the best possible outcome. 

The challenge is that people are unpredictable and there are many factors that influence how they behave on any given day. Although leadership has an illusion of control, their primary influence is in shaping that ecosystem to allow people to have greater flexibility to perform within it. 

Utilizing change management models

While there are several models that show how to manage culture changes within an organization, Myllerup points out that they are ideas, like a map, simply representing an idea of what is there, though not completely accurate. The reality of what is should always supersede the hypothetical outcomes that the models predict. 

That said, one of the best models out there is the Competing Values Framework, which our ALJ curriculum utilizes. 

The competing values framework, in its very nature, has tension built in, and the goal is to create balance between these forces. There are opposing forces - structure and control vs. flexibility and fluidity. Too much in any direction is indicative of an unhealthy culture. However, it is important to be authentic in setting the values framework that is ultimately desired. 

Because people are unpredictable, implementing change is one thing. Influencing change is another. Organizational culture, then, becomes either an asset or an obstacle to the change you wish to influence. 

What is the role of leadership in influencing change within an organization?

Looking at culture as the shadow of an organization, it is easy to see that a shadow is the product of an object (the organization) and a light source (you). You cannot actually change the shadow itself, but you can influence how the shadow is cast by changing the placement of the object and/or the direction of the light source. Oftentimes, it is easier to change yourself than others, which is why we use this example when talking about how to influence culture. You can shift and change a light source and inevitably, the shadow cast by the object changes. 

An organization that takes an inside-out approach to managing change gives itself more potential for long-term growth and success. By placing culture at the center of the work you do, the possibilities for growth become limitless. Rather than being driven by process, we are driven by the people who make up the organization.

Building T-shaped team members, or cross-functional training, creates a more dynamic and fluid culture because people have a breadth of knowledge, rather than being siloed into their unique specialties. As a result, the long term effect is that you build teams that can be more collaborative and bring products to market on a shorter timeline, increasing your competitiveness in the marketplace. 

When it comes to change management, one of the greatest indicators of success is how well the people of your organization have been centered in the process. Aligning change and culture create opportunities for your organization to balance the competing values. In the end, managing change allows you to grow the organization more intentionally and more effectively. 

Read Bent’s full post on the Better Change site.