Changing the cultural DNA

Highly unlikely. Bookish. Tough nut. Too long. Not my cup. Such are the responses whenever you talk about changing the culture of a house, a company or a country. A typical example given to prove that this is not possible is “See people breaking queues, pushing to go ahead on the Pakistani airport and how they become so law abiding and civilized the minute the plane lands in Dubai”. True but self-explanatory too.

The fact that people behave the way the majority behaves is true. The fact that making them behave differently is too tedious and time consuming for leaders to invest in is debatable. Why do leaders invest in many things on priority but delay working on creating a culture that enables the company to be what it wants to be? Why do leaders let the existing dominant culture impact their own domains? Why do people wait for others to set the tone of change? Why does culture take so long to change?

With remote working, work from home, behind the screen interaction, is a harmonious culture really a reality? Yes, it is. In fact, even more. The question is what can a team have in common if they are not able to meet each other daily in person? The office vibes are not there to alert people what to expect. The greetings are vocal and not physical. The meetings are not followed by the casual walk and chat back to the office.

The appreciation is not pats on the back and semi hugs. This is a real challenge. This is a real dilemma. This is a real deal. Then there is the problem of head office Vs regional offices. The famous saying of proximity is the real power is a perception that is firmly grounded in people. The ability to meet the high-ups and bump into the ExCom members are opportunities that others miss.

The culture of the factories versus the head offices is a contrast that creates differing styles and differing behaviour. Not to forget the geographical location issue. Energy power plants located in far-off areas where people hardly meet the general public creates its own inwardness that limits outside influences. This makes changing the cultural DNA task tedious and cumbersome. These may be some reasons why leaders do not invest in developing a culture that supports the behaviour that defines the company. The reasons may be two-fold:

1. They fail to lead by example— Most leaders do try to bring cultural change but normally give up early. The reason is that they are unable to influence people. That may be due to their own belief that cultural change applies to the followers. They will expect their team to be punctual but will feel that it does not apply to them. They may give a lecture on merit but then hire their best friend’s son who did not score high in the test. Such behaviour contrasts are known as not walking the talk.

2. They go for short cuts— Most leaders feel that they need to show quick results. They take quick fix steps that have a “show and tell” impact. In many companies CEOs create employee sports rooms, nice canteens, etc., that make great commentary on guided tours and Instagram reels. They create nice coffee chat corners which make the office look homely and comfy. However, the real work on making people feel empowered and respected is taken for granted as that in their opinion takes time.

These are convenient untruths that leaders who are not willing to lead the DNA change use. The chief role of a leader is to develop a culture that embodies the values on which the company professes to stand upon. The biggest test of a leader is whether the company creates an identity that makes it distinct from others.

Culture has to be intentionally designed and diligently implemented. Google leaders curated a culture that embodied fun and creativity. The second myth that culture takes a long time is also an assumption. With the right role models and systems cultural change may be quicker than most leaders claim. What are the core elements that leaders work on to create the cultural persona of a company:

1. Design the culture that needs to be in the company— As a leader how much do you spend on reflecting, discussing and spending on designing the culture you want? In most organizations it comes way below sales, technology and return over equity discussions.

There is a reactive discussion on it on why people are leaving. Most HR will put it to better opportunities outside, etc. Few companies will have cultural development as part of any strategic meeting agenda. It will be a top topic in any podcast interviews that they give but will hardly figure in any of their big goals. The first need is to put cultural transformation in your top 3 goals with follow-ups regularly.

1. Identify the gaps in the existing culture— Assess what is lacking compared to your cultural vision. Create a value system that defines what the company really values in its culture. Develop the type of behaviours that need to be part of the atmosphere you want to facilitate. Create an accountability system that diligently comes into play on any non-compliance. The gaps are assessed through cultural surveys and keep observations that are tracked regularly.

   3- Get the senior team to role model behaviour— The quickest way to spread a culture is to make the leadership team practice it. Nothing spreads quicker than the news that a top guy has been penalized due to some values he was not practicing. I saw this happening in a company in the microfinance industry of Pakistan. The company was not doing well. It brought in a new CEO who wanted a cultural change.

His own high performing COO violated one of the company’s core values. He was asked to leave. This sent such a strong message that within weeks the company saw people changing. The attitude of “so what” changed to “why not” and the company’s financial condition started improving.

Culture development is a must for sustainable growth of any entity. Once the culture becomes established behaviour good or bad becomes the norm. As Patrick Whitesell said, “You can have all the right strategies in the world: If you don’t have the right culture, you’re dead”.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025