Alys O’Neill, director of consulting at United Culture, describes four key steps to achieving long-lasting culture change and trust.

Political and economic uncertainty, new ways of working and the aftermath of COVID have all contributed to a rising concern about culture in the boardroom. As executives start to recognise that a strong culture can help a business withstand disruption, win the battle for talent, and drive performance, they see it as a critical factor in the fight for growth.

But despite the increasing focus, many culture transformation efforts continue to fail. Here are four things you should be thinking about to make culture change stick.

Power up your leaders

If the executive team is not aligned on the importance of culture, and the scale and scope of the changes needed within the business, any transformation efforts are likely to fail.

What matters most is winning leadership buy-in and taking time to ensure your executive team is committed to the journey that you need to embark on.

Leaders must set the direction, create a psychologically safe environment where the desired behaviours can thrive and provide clarity on how the culture of the business can accelerate its success. They must credibly role model the behaviours they want to embed and become true ambassadors of what it takes to succeed at the organisation.

Understand your people

If you want your culture programme to resonate with your people, you need to understand what they care about, what motivates them, and what they need and expect from the workplace.

Our recent ‘Work Remastered’ research suggests today’s employees are looking for work-life balance, flexibility and security. People want more autonomy over where and how they work, and are increasingly focused on what an organisation can offer them, not solely what they’re bringing to the business.

Taking the time to rethink how you segment your audience will enable you to tailor your approach, so that it resonates and drives lasting change. Segmenting by mindset, experience and outlook - over generation or hierarchy - will enable you to have a more powerful impact on your organisation.

Audience segmentation needs to be regularly updated to reflect the pace of change today, and listening strategies need to be in place to enable you to respond to diverse needs and challenges in the moment.

Co-creation is your superpower

It has never been more important to bring people on the change journey with you. To do that authentically, you need to co-create with them so that they don’t feel like passive victims of change.

Involve your people in shaping your approach from the start. Not only will it help to test and validate your thinking, but it ensures that whatever you create genuinely resonates. Co-creating also helps to create a sense of ownership, gives people a voice and generates advocacy.

Find your influencers 

True internal influencers can be the catalyst for making culture change happen. They can help you identify barriers to success and are often instrumental in solving the challenges you need to overcome.

To find your most influential employees, you need to kick against normal hierarchical structures and tap into the knowledge of the masses, seeking out those who are great communicators and curious connectors who know how to get things done. Influencers often have strong opinions but can listen and learn from others and will ensure that your work resonates with your people, because they will naturally keep you honest.

Culture change is an ongoing process that will not happen overnight. But applying these principles will help you to strengthen your approach, accelerate change and earn trust.