Organisational culture is integral to business success. When an organisation identifies a change in its Vision, Mission, Values and/or strategic direction it is critical that the culture is aligned to:
- continue to support the direction of the organisation, and
- support and develop people within the organisation to meet ongoing and future needs.
The underlying assumptions related to cultural alignment are that:
- the organisation needs to continue to attract and retain those people who can support its future direction
- the culture of the organisation needs to be one in which people feel supported to achieve their performance goals so they in turn support the organisation
- HR policies, practices and programmes and the organisation structure reflect the strategic goals and direction and contribute to its success
- the organisation needs to comply with its statutory obligations and legislated requirements in relation to employment, qualifications, performance and development of its staff as well as build a competitive edge
There are a variety of processes that enable organisation transformation and renewal to be most effective.
Generally, the organisation would undertake a comprehensive series of interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders ‘both from within and outside the organisation’ in order to obtain current and future perspectives of organisation practice.
A “desktop” review of current organisation practices within like (and in some cases, unlike) organisations could also undertaken. This provides a greater understanding of the general trends and levels of service delivery in order to compare and benchmark performance.
This information is then generally shared with the Executive or Senior Leadership Team (and other key stakeholders where appropriate) and within the organisation through a series of innovative workshops and forums and organisation change strategies are planned and developed.
The organisation changes are further developed through engaging the rest of the business in this process; again, in creative and innovative ways. This enables all staff to work with and understand any new structures, systems and processes as they emerge.
A comprehensive implementation plan and communication strategy is then developed to ensure the organisation changes are supported with key milestones and measures being identified and key staff within the organisation identified as being accountable for their success.