The Need for Organizational Change
Organizations are changing under the influence of external and internal factors, which help companies adapt to new conditions and progress in their work. Change is necessary as it helps to innovate, attract new talented employees, maintain the competitiveness of organizations, and provide other advantages (Al-Hassan & Kakavelakis, 2013). The organization’s culture must also change to meet modern trends and requirements and support employees. Despite the benefits of the changes, workers often resist them, and for the transformations to be implemented, it is necessary to convince workers, especially leaders, of their need.
The Role of Culture in Supporting Transformation
The organization’s culture establishes the norms and values guiding employees’ work. Therefore, it is essential that the culture changes with society and supports the organization’s development. However, leaders may not bring it to their attention due to a lack of a clear understanding of culture and its role in strategic change (Kuppler, 2014).
Convincing Leaders of Cultural Change
Kuppler (2014) highlights several business areas that can convince leaders to change the culture. I find performance and customer service improvements the most convincing reasons for leaders. Performance and customer communication are among the most discussed critical factors for success and are usually the leaders’ priority. Moreover, efficiency and customer experience often determine a company’s revenue and viability in the market.
The identified factors are significant and compelling, but I would like to say that the choice of a convincing reason can depend on the company’s characteristics, current goals, and the situation. For example, when an organization is worried about a lack of staff and their relationship, it is crucial to draw leaders’ attention to the connection between culture and these aspects. Leaders can again draw attention to the relationship with culture if the strategic plan includes a new initiative. Thus, organizations committed to maintaining their success must change, but convincing all employees of the need for change is essential. The most compelling reasons may be improvements in performance and customer experience due to strategic changes that include culture.
References
Al-Husan, F. B. & Kakavelakis, K. (2013). Managing organizational change. In S. Perkins & R. Arvinen Muondo (Eds.), Organizational behaviour: People, process, work and human resource management (pp. 241-264). Kogan Page Limited.
Kuppler, T. (2014). The #1 workplace culture challenge. WebArchive. Web.