Culture change won’t happen without system change. Organizational norms of behavior are all grounded in the systems an organization has subscribed to – systems of decision-making, management, development, recognition, etc.
When hiring, the hire is for system fit, followed by training to ensure the system is supported and then maintained by a rewards system for those who comply. It’s systems that drive people’s behaviors and those behaviors, repeated and reinforced, lead to the beliefs that the system is correct.
Culture change efforts shouldn’t start with trying to directly change individuals, the should start with an examination of the assumptions and expectations within an organization’s very design, it’s systems, that are all subtly and unconsciously guiding people to do what they do.
