Our Perspective

An Overlooked Sense Of Urgency

Leadership often overlooks cultural change because it was a concept not easily defined, and its importance was not fully understood. The culture was usually categorized as “soft stuff” and pushed off until there was enough time or after other issues were addressed.

Because culture essentially defines how an organization runs and whether it operates at a high-performance level, it is essential to realize how this culture will change when two organizations come together. In particular, it is critical to understand how to prepare for and develop a well-conceived plan for creating the combined entities' “new culture.”

Culture change is seen by many as:

• Difficult: In mature organizations, the culture is deeply embedded in everything they do, and to the inexpert eye, many aspects of it may not even be apparent.
• Dangerous: So much can be tied up in a culture that attempting to change it or imposing changes that run counter to the culture can result in the organization becoming disoriented and losing a sense of purpose.
• Challenging: culture often springs from the top. People follow the (often implicit) example set by the leaders, so cultural change has to be embraced and led by the top people. It involves people surrendering long-held beliefs about what they do and why.

An organization’s culture represents an important element in its organizational (and individual) identity. It provides stability and guidance. However, because it is such a force for stability, culture has to be challenged and changed if an organization is serious about transforming its behavior.

Prescient Strategists has over 75 years of collective experience supporting organizations through cultural change at the individual (working with senior managers in a coaching or mentoring capacity), team, or organizational levels.

Declarative Statement: Prescient Strategists, LLC. does not sell or provide legal or financial advice of any kind, as we are NOT attorneys, investment bankers, licensed brokers, or licensed dealers.