Culture Change: From buzzwords to reality

A client of ours is struggling with language. Important words have become buzzwords and seem like jargon now. The words have even gathered some baggage along the way. We’ve talked about vision/mission so many times. Ugh. Here we go again. One of the tricky words words for them is “culture”. Over the years it has been used and reused, and now it’s just tired. It has lost its meaning and importance.

I should start by saying that although I am truly passionate about the culture conversation, I completely understand their problem with the word. My own husband rolls his eyes at it(even though his darling wife spends her days toiling with culture) because people have been using the word culture as an escape route for doing real work. Oh no, that’s not a priority. If we just change the culture, then all of this will be better.

Now, this language issue poses a challenge for us at The Moment, as we design and deliver programs and develop long-term culture change work. Culture really is the right word to use when you want “how we do things around here” to fundamentally change throughout an organization. Any other word doesn’t really describe the work accurately. Using a replacement word poses a risk of inauthenticity and a misrepresentation of the work and its intention. For example, we can’t call our work “change management” because we’re not managing change. We’re activating it.

So, what’s the solution? Simply this: clearly identify what the culture change is that you are looking for then quickly focus on what matters…your work, your results, and how you plan to get there.The key issue here is that you can’t change a culture just by talking about changing a culture.

Culture is a backward facing phenomenon; we notice it has changed not when we are trying to change it, but when it shifts into something noticeably different than our former experience. We experience culture change looking back on what was, and comparing that to what now is. It is also the comparison between the culture we want and the culture we live that reveals the most powerful insights.

Don’t spend your valuable time thinking up another word for culture. It’s not necessary. Instead, talk about the larger culture goal a little less. Talk more about how you’re doing things differently, what’s new, what’s challenging, and how you can solve a problem differently. Talk about what matters, and do so in new ways. Create new relational patterns. Forge new pathways your new behaviours can follow. Essentially you’re talking about what is changing culturally, without really mentioning it.

When your culture has shifted, you’ll have trouble stopping people from talking about it. The tired old word culture will become everyone’s favourite topic because this time we really did something about it.

We’ve developed a tool for cultural diagnosis and intervention and would love for you to have it. Find out more and get your copy and support resources here.