The Culture Chasm

REINVENTING GOVERNMENT

Lessons Learned in
Leading Change

Whichever tools you choose, keep in mind the following lessons, discussed at length in Banishing Bureaucracy (Addison-Wesley, 1997):

• Involve the employees. Woo them, reward them, entertain them-whatever it takes to get them involved in new behaviors and beliefs.
• Walk the talk. Leaders must model the behavior they want; if they don't, the new culture will have no credibility.
• Make yourself visible. Get out of the front office and mix with your employees.
• Make a clear break with the past. Send an unmistakable signal that you are initiating culture change.
• Unleash-but harness-the pioneers. Channel their energy in constructive directions.
• Get a quick shot of new blood. Bring in new managers who already carry the new culture, then continue the transfusion every time you hire someone new.
• Drive out fear, but don't tolerate resistance. Give employees lots of information and rewards. But if people repeatedly undermine the change process, remove them.
• Sell success. Constantly call attention to the new behavior you're looking for, and reward it.
• Communicate with employees. If they don't know what your change strategy is, they are more likely to feel threatened by it.
• Bridge the fault lines in the organization. Help people reach across dividing lines.
• Change administrative systems that reinforce a bureaucratic culture. Bureaucratic budget, personnel, and procurement systems send powerful signals that undercut the culture you are trying to build.
• Be patient. Commit for the long haul, because it takes five to 10 years to transform a bureaucratic culture. Don't let the bureaucracy wait you out.