A rowing eight seen from above, with the cox wearing an orange cap

People and organisationCulture and leadership

Culture and leadership that support your strategy

A new strategy often calls for different behaviour, starting with the people who lead. But culture does not change because of a memo or a set of values on the wall. The Next Organization shows how your culture works and which interventions in leadership, reward and habits will help.

Sound familiar?

The strategy is set, but people are not acting on it yet
What we agree and what we actually do are drifting apart
Cultures clash after a merger or a period of fast growth
Your core values are written down, but they do not shape behaviour
Departments operate as islands, each with its own rules
Taking responsibility feels risky, so everyone waits

Culture has layers

Culture is how people work when nobody is watching. Organisational psychologist Edgar Schein distinguishes three layers. If you only change the top layer, the old behaviour soon comes back.

Where you can intervene

Visible behaviour

What it is: How people hold meetings, make decisions and work together

Example: Meetings where everyone nods, but nobody decides anything

Stated values

What it is: What the organisation says it considers important

Example: "Customer first" on the website, while internal rules take priority

Unwritten rules

What it is: Beliefs that everyone knows, but nobody says out loud

Example: Making a mistake is dangerous, so nobody takes a risk

You change culture through the things that drive behaviour:

Leadership: the example managers set every day
Structure and roles: who decides and how much room people have (Organisational design)
Rewards and appraisal: which behaviour you visibly value
Recruitment and onboarding: who you hire and how you bring them on board (People and HR strategy)
Meetings and rituals: how you come together, celebrate and look back
Core values: the values you test behaviour against (Core values)

The culture you need follows from your strategy. So choose interventions that target the behaviour your direction calls for.

What you get

You get a clear picture of your current and desired culture, described in behaviour everyone recognises. You have a plan with broad support and targeted interventions, each with an owner. And your strategy no longer runs aground on habits that no longer fit.

Frequently asked questions

How long does culture change take?

Longer than a strategy on paper. You will see targeted interventions reflected in behaviour within a few months. Lasting change usually takes one to two years of sustained effort, especially from managers.

What role does leadership play?

A big one. Employees mainly watch what managers do, not what they say. That is why culture change starts with the behaviour of the board and management.

How do you measure culture?

Through conversations and a short questionnaire about how people experience their work. Also look at what you can observe, such as how decisions are made and what gets rewarded. Repeat the measurement to see whether behaviour is changing.

How do you link rewards to your strategy?

Reward the behaviour and results your strategy calls for, not just revenue. If the strategy focuses on margin or collaboration, make sure that shows up in targets and appraisals. Keep the scheme simple enough to explain.