Most culture change programs fail because they ignore behaviours. Company culture is nothing more than group habits—what people do every day. Discover nine proven ways to shift behaviours and drive meaningful culture transformation.
Company culture transformations are everywhere. It’s hard to find an organisation that isn’t attempting some kind of culture shift, change program or transformation.
But here’s the problem: most fail. Reports suggest that around 70% of culture change programs don’t deliver. And the reason is simple: businesses focus on strategies, roadmaps, technology, and processes—but they neglect the one thing that truly shapes culture and success: behaviours.
Culture is not posters on the wall, fancy values statements, office slides or free beer on Fridays. It’s what people do every day. It’s group habit.
I’ve seen toxic organisations turn around almost overnight when a new CEO or manager sets a new behavioural standard, role models it, and holds people accountable. I’ve done the same myself. Because here’s the truth:
👉 You don’t get the behaviours you expect. You get the behaviours you tolerate.
This article is a short section of my very own consulting playbook on culture change. We’ll cover:
There's a video here, or read on below.
Culture is behaviours. It’s how people talk, interact, collaborate, and create value. It’s observable, measurable, and influenceable. We can't change other people's behaviours, they must do that themselves, but we most certainly can influence them - in more ways than you make think.
High-performing companies aren’t defined by frameworks like Agile, Lean, or OKRs. They’re defined by the way their people behave and work together.
Put simply:
People + Behaviours = Culture.
Most culture change programs fail because they overlook behaviours. Instead, they pour energy into processes, strategies, operating models, tools or technology fixes. Without addressing how people behave every day, most change programs are merely adding more confusion and cost.
Behaviours can:
I love how the clever folks at manager-tools describe behaviours.
Behaviours are objective. They can be studied, improved, and shifted.
Behaviours don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re shaped by:
Here are nine practical levers for culture change that I’ve seen work in real organisations, and are part of my consulting toolkit:
Leaders set the tone. If leaders and managers don’t live the behaviours they expect, it's highly likely few other people will. Write down expected behaviours, communicate them, and role model them relentlessly. After all, you cannot expect people to behave in a way that you're not as a leader or manager.
Poor behaviours tolerated become the norm. Managers must give feedback early and often—don’t wait for the dreaded annual reviews. Most people improve when given clear standards. The annual review should not be the first time an employee hears they are under-performing or dragging down the team.
Many transformation and change programs aim to reduce or remove hierarchy - and sometimes that is needed. But I always say that "The hierarchy itself isn’t the problem, it's the poor behaviours within it that are". Healthy hierarchies enable delegation, expertise, and focus - but lean hierarchies with poor behaviours will still give you a bad culture.
Managers need to study the system they oversee. Go where decisions land. See the impact first-hand. Many poor behaviours are simply reactions to broken systems. In fact, the reason I spend a lot of time here is because the very system of work WILL guide our behaviours. Edward Deming said around 94% of success comes from the system of work, and 6% from the people in it - yet we often, as managers and leaders, spend more time on people than we do on fixing the system they work in.
Culture change isn’t just “change for the sake of change.” People need clarity on why the business exists, its measures of success, and a compelling vision of the future. A painted picture always helps.
Most organisations chase symptoms instead of root causes. Boredom, lack of meaning, too many meetings, lack of clarity, mis-aligned teams, bad incentives and more - drive poor behaviours. Fix the root issues, not just the symptom. There's a classic systems thinking idea that when we fix the symptoms, we're creating the problems of tomorrow.
Change is constant, messy, and emergent. Managers should study it, experiment, swim in it, play with it and adapt rather than pretending it can be perfectly planned.
One change program aimed at fixing the broken culture, assumed on September 1st everyone would be working in the new model with new behaviours. A year later they're planning another change program because this first one didn't work. Change doesn't happen overnight, it's a gradual process - and it's always happening - learn to see it, nudge it and play with it, not set a deadline and demand it.
Learning fuels adaptation, growth and the ability to overcome new problems. Encourage reflection, curiosity, and personal development. Leaders who role model learning behaviours set the standard for others.
Learning is essential and we only really learn when we implement tactics - not strategies. Don't spend forever in the strategy and plan - spend more time doing the work and implementing it - that's where the real learning happens.
Facts inform, but stories inspire. Share stories that show the impact of behaviours and the vision of the future. They make culture change personal and emotional.
If you'd like to learn how to do better storytelling, then Cultivated is pleased to offer a Storytelling Masterclass in collaboration with a Sunday Times Top Ten best selling author. She's ace. And she'll teach you about storytelling.
No culture change succeeds without HR actively supporting managers. HR must:
I’ve seen organisations fail because HR prioritised “happiness scores” over effectiveness. Feedback may be uncomfortable—but it’s essential to change. No behavioural changes - no culture changes.
Culture isn’t technology, perks, plans, strategies or slogans. It’s behaviours.
If your transformation program doesn’t focus on behaviours, it won’t change culture—it’ll just create the same problems in a new wrapper - typically pushing systemic and wicked problems even further into the business.
But when managers role model behaviours, hold people accountable, and study the real problems, organisations shift. High-performing behaviours spread, and momentum builds.
Change is inevitable. The best managers are those who study it, shape it, swim with it, nudge it, play with and support people through it.
👉 Focus on behaviours, and you’ll transform culture.
Good luck,
Rob.
If you need help with anything on here, don't hesitate to get in touch and we can chat about how I can help you.