I remember reading somewhere that shifting the culture in an organisation is comparable to moving mountains. Whilst this sounds like an exaggeration it’s fair to say that I have experienced this feeling several times in my recent career.
Making a cultural shift is never easy at the best of times, it’s made more difficult in a multi site operation with units across the UK and when these units are small, with small teams where the nature of the business gives you little time to think.
In long-standing businesses people become set in their ways, especially if there is no L&D function and no culture of continuous improvement. This can often be compounded by poor management information and the lack of a discernible strategy (this isn’t about not having a strategy as an organisation but how well that organisation communicates that strategy to the people on the front line.)
All of these things are roadblocks, some of which you can do little about.
My next post will detail some of the strategies which I have used in an attempt to inspire innovation at all levels of an organisation
