Capgemini helps organisations to deliver tangible value through understanding and improving ‘the way we do things around here’. The issues of culture and behaviour are frequently raised by CEOs and our approach provides measurable, benefits-led programmes that drive improved performance and profit.
What is Culture Change?
Culture is ‘the way we do things around here’. It involves the values, behaviours and processes of an organisation. It is not just a matter of ‘mood’. It is a hard and quantifiable aspect of working life. A strong positive culture is when people support and work towards the organisation’s goals. The process of aligning culture with goals involves understanding the status quo, designing the future and embedding the desired results. This is a positive experience for staff as they can contribute to how the organisation is run.
When should you review your culture?
Most change programmes fail and their benefits are not realised unless people and the way they work are taken into consideration. It is essential to undertake a culture programme when:
- The current style and ways of working in the organisation are not delivering desired results—a mismatch between objectives and outcomes is often rooted in the culture
- An organisation introduces a new strategy or vision—it will frequently need revised values or ways of working to achieve it and a change-ready culture to deliver it
- Merging two organisations—clashing cultures is one of the key reasons for merger failure
- Morale is low amongst your people
- Developing a new brand or differentiating yourself from the competition—misalignment between brand and corporate values confuses both staff and customers, destroying value
- The customer experience is poor or when the leadership is unable to communicate to the organisation
- Legislative changes require a new operating model or process
How does culture add value?
“Culture is not part of the puzzle, it is the puzzle*”.
Managing or changing culture enables the success of all other projects and converts the intangible asset into tangible value. Effective culture change and management will drive three key advantages:
- It brings greater profit through a guiding unity of purpose
- It drives staff motivation, making your people work more effectively
- It generates purpose and fulfilment that bring loyalty and commitment
How does Capgemini approach culture change and management?
Our approach is customised to every client, recognising their different needs. We can approach culture
change as part of a wider change programme or as a stand-alone activity.
In each case, we work with the organisation on the four key levers of organisational culture. We identify how these levers can be pulled across the organisation:
- The symbols that trigger a sense of belonging or purpose
- The behaviours that people exhibit
- The rewards and benefits for employees
- The business context in which employees performs their roles.
*Alvesson, 1993, italics added
Every engagement can be linked to a measurable benefits package. This will identify what corrective action needs to be taken in the process and gauge the effectiveness of the project from the client’s perspective.
Culture change is far more effective when bottom-up techniques are aligned with top-down commitment. Our way of working ensures that the programme is sustainable long after we have left.
