No Such thing as culture change?

If you think it through, and from a deeper point of view, you might say there's no such thing as 'culture change'. 

What we mean is ...

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What we mean is, culture is not a tangible physical entity, it's a concept comprised of other intangibles, an idea in the wind, so hard to 'grasp' ... hard to understand and even harder to change, because we're really talking about changing a group of intangibles we typically fail to define and loosely group together in our minds, labelled 'Culture'.

So what is it?
Culture is an outcome of multiple human and environmental factors. Values, beliefs and a whole lot more. It is these component parts (of culture) which have to change if we are to claim there has been 'culture change' ...if people are to fundamentally change the way they act ... behave... perform together.

But even that is insufficient ... the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts ... but in this this case, the case of 'Culture', each part is another 'sum greater than it's part', in it's own right.

Just as people fail to define culture, fail to consider each of the parts which make it, they also fail to define values, beliefs and the parts which make them. Q. What is a Value ... a belief?

When we consider these components of culture, we find imprinted brain wiring and firing patterns. 
Quid pro quo - to change culture, we must change brains! In fact, to consider any form of change, (including 'Lean'), we cannot get away from the FACT that 'root cause' is an 'adaption' process happening within adult brains.
 
To deal with 'change' (culture or otherwise) in any meaningful way, a working knowledge of neuroscience and psychology is pre-requisite! Particularly in anyone and everyone who takes up a leadership position, 'C' Suite, Management structure, supervisors and staff!

Without this level of knowledge, we see change and organisational development initiatives wrought with mistakes, slowing the speed of change (extending timelines and budgets beyond belief!) by provoking 'resistance to change' in brains, failing to understand habits, refusing to acknowledge deeper issues surrounding control, fear and other factors which all combine to create 'culture' and either compliment or contaminate organisational performance potential.


The way we approach change in the absence of this knowledge cost companies £Millions and Economies £Billions 
'Working days lost through Stress' is just one example being measured in recent weeks and months and of such significance in monetary terms, it's made local and national prime-time BBC news!.

If you want lean to work at a cultural level, the conclusion is clear! Have your leaders educated to know much, much more about the change that happens in people ... which means, in brains and minds - or as the originators of Lean promoted, we must understand the Muri and Mura (the 8th waste) and not just focus on the Muda! (The 7 wastes). If they didn't see 'The Human Touch' as of paramount importance, there would be no such thing as Jidoka!

So, is there is such a thing as culture change? Yes there is, but contrary to popular belief, it starts in Brains, creates Minds, ends up in beliefs and a host of other 'Human Factors' before it is generalised as 'Culture'. We can affect culture change, but we may need to start thinking about it in a bit more detail.

Culture Change = A Change to the way people see the world. 

Conclusion:
Fail to change minds (in the natural neurogenesis sense) and you'll witness all of the issues reported to inhibit and undermine change programmes globally! Because???? the 'way' in which you understand and therefore lead your change programme will provoke all the same emotional responses in people the imposition of change provokes in human beings globally.

Any change initiative is missing the whole 'Human' piece (80% of effective change - Muri / Mura), if it's focused on changing Process to remove waste (20% of effective change - Muda). If we 'Pareto Analyse' The world of 'Change' - we find we've been looking at the obvious 20% and ignoring the 80% because it's an idea in  the wind. made up of parts we fail to address factually or scientifically. 

The good news is, with advances in Neuroscience over the last 5 years, the language being used when considering 'Change' and 'Leadership' is like the next continental shift - it's moving like an iceberg cutting through the landscape of change on a global scale, it is immense and unstoppable. New buzzwords are evolving and consulting companies are quickly pinning their flag to the neuroscience mast to make sure they don't miss out on the next wave of investment in change from the public and private sectors ... the 'New' science is becoming mainstream! We now have the capacity to consider change at this level with facts and evidence previously unavailable to us.

The world of 'Change' is changing - will you embrace it or deny it? The 'emotional' choice is yours. If you wish to embrace it, you can talk to those who have just picked up the batton, or contact Duxinaroe; we've been presenting and linking 'Lean' and 'Change' to the science of the brain and mind (neuroscience and psychology) for over 12 years.


Who will you call?

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www.duxinaroe.com
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