Shaping organisational culture

The continuity of change determines the way we think and work. In times of change, transformation and consolidation, consciously shaping the organisational culture is an essential means of achieving sustainable goals. This is because culture determines how people in organisations think or do not think, communicate or do not communicate and act or do not act.

When change processes are pending in an organisation – be it because partial aspects are being restructured or because major cuts are imminent – the organizational culture influences all steps of the change. The existing organisational culture can promote or inhibit the desired changes. Every organisational culture is complex and difficult and at the same time largely invisible. To use the iceberg analogy: 10% is visible above the surface, 90% is hidden. The main task of our organisational culture analysis is to make the hidden visible and to understand that it can be shaped. This is what makes the difference. It is therefore helpful to understand what influence the specific culture has on these changes and how the employees position themselves in relation to the change against this background. In this way, blind spots can be highlighted and levers and levers for dealing constructively with the change can be found. The workforce feels involved.

Organisational culture describes the shared explicit and implicit assumptions with regard to cooperation and the do’s and don’ts that shape the behaviour and, in particular, the interaction of the various stakeholders and stakeholder groups in an organisation. In times of change, these assumptions also influence the view of the desired change and can promote or inhibit it.

The culture of an organisation can be explored, described and reflected back to the participants on the basis of interviews and participant observation (see Qualitative impact analysis; action research). In this way, implicit assumptions become explicit, can be discussed and thus shaped.

• It is a basis for decision-making. It prepares a change process and serves the responsible managers as part of their decision-making basis for the concrete design of the change.
• It is goal-oriented and always related to the specific concerns and issues of the process. explores the perspectives on the issue and focuses on challenges and stumbling blocks in the same way as on successes and resources that are inherent in the organisation and its participants.
• It is consultative and involves the employees and managers surveyed in change processes by taking a holistic view (relevant voices are heard)
• It offers a systemic platform for understanding the culture of the organisation and provides orientation. It is less about individual views, opinions and interests and more about the cultural system of the organisation: What values, assumptions and behaviours make up the culture?
• The results serve as a mirror and starting point for further exchange and the design of processes.
• it has a double benefit: It enables those responsible for a change process and the external process support/facilitation to gain a deeper understanding of the context and different perspectives. At the same time, the interviews (see below) help the interviewees to self-reflect,
• It changes their perspective and prepare for the further process
• It is related to concrete phenomena (i.e. it is not abstract, but always narrated and described using examples)
• It is explorative: with a fresh, neutral view from the outside on what seems to be taken for granted, everyday working life is seen in a new light and can be better shaped from this perspective.
• It enables those involved to change their perspective.