Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• **Explain** the deep link between organizational culture and bottom-line business performance and strategy execution.
• **Apply** a systematic model (e.g., Schein's levels, Competing Values Framework) to diagnose the current culture.
• **Define** and articulate the desired future culture in clear, actionable terms and behavioral expectations.
• **Identify** and leverage the key 'culture levers' in the organization (e.g., leadership, structure, systems).
• **Design** and implement targeted interventions (e.g., rituals, storytelling, system changes) to drive cultural change.
• **Build** a clear communication and reinforcement strategy to embed the new culture over time.
• **Measure** the progress and effectiveness of cultural transformation efforts using quantitative and qualitative data.
• **Coach** and support leaders in demonstrating the behaviors of the desired culture.

Target Audience

• HR Directors, VPs, and CHROs sponsoring culture transformation programs.
• Organizational Development (OD) and Change Management Specialists.
• Internal Consultants and Strategy Leaders focused on organizational effectiveness.
• HR Business Partners (HRBPs) and Talent Management Leaders.
• Senior Line Managers tasked with embedding new cultural norms in their teams.

Cultural audit simulation using diagnostic tools, Group exercise on linking values to observable behaviors, Workshop on designing targeted cultural interventions, Role-playing leader coaching for cultural alignment, Case study analysis of a large-scale culture transformation, Facilitated discussion on cultural resistance.

Outline

Unit 1: The Strategic Imperative of Culture

Culture, Performance, and Strategy

• Defining organizational culture: values, beliefs, and underlying assumptions.
• The evidence-based link between culture and financial performance/innovation.
• Case studies of culture failures and successes (e.g., Enron, Netflix).
• Understanding how culture either enables or hinders strategy execution.

Cultural Diagnostic Models

• Applying Schein's Three Levels of Culture (Artifacts, Espoused Values, Assumptions).
• Using the Competing Values Framework (CVF) to map cultural types.
• Designing cultural assessment tools (surveys, cultural audits, interviews).
• Analyzing the gap between the current 'is' and the desired 'should be' culture.

Unit 2: Defining the Desired Culture

Vision and Values Clarification

• Facilitating executive alignment on the future strategic direction.
• Defining core organizational values that support the business strategy.
• Translating values into specific, observable, and measurable behaviors.
• Co-creating the desired culture with a broad cross-section of employees.

Leadership Role in Culture Shaping

• The non-negotiable role of senior leadership in modeling the desired culture.
• Conducting a 'behavioral audit' of leadership actions and communication.
• Developing a leadership culture coaching and development program.
• Ensuring leader accountability for cultural adoption.

Unit 3: Culture Levers and Intervention Design

Structural and Systemic Levers

• Aligning organizational structure to the desired culture (e.g., hierarchy vs. network).
• Integrating culture into core HR systems (recruitment, performance, rewards).
• Ensuring physical space and technology support the desired behaviors.
• Revising policies and processes to eliminate cultural roadblocks.

Symbolic and Behavioral Interventions

• Using organizational storytelling and internal communications to reinforce new norms.
• Designing new organizational rituals, ceremonies, and symbolic acts.
• Implementing behavioral nudges and feedback loops.
• Strategies for handling subcultures and cultural resistance.

Unit 4: Implementing and Sustaining Transformation

Communication and Engagement Strategy

• Developing a long-term, multi-channel communication plan for culture.
• Engaging employees in the process of defining and driving the culture.
• Training managers to facilitate culture conversations with their teams.
• Creating a network of culture champions and change agents.

Measurement and Reinforcement

• Selecting cultural metrics (e.g., eNPS, safety incidents, ethical reports).
• Conducting follow-up cultural assessments and trend analysis.
• Using positive and negative reinforcement (recognition, accountability).
• The transition from a project-based change to continuous cultural evolution.

Unit 5: Advanced Topics and Cultural Ethics

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Culture

• Advanced techniques for cultural due diligence in M&A.
• Designing an effective culture integration strategy post-merger.
• Managing the coexistence of multiple subcultures within a single organization.
• Case study on a successful culture-driven M&A integration.

Ethical Culture and Compliance

• The link between organizational culture and ethical conduct/compliance.
• Designing a speak-up culture and encouraging psychological safety.
• The role of HR in mitigating a toxic or dysfunctional culture.
• Personal action plan for initiating a culture shaping process.