‘Companies that drive their culture are those whose values inform everything they do’
 
In this HR Uprising episode, we have our very first Masterclass focusing on culture change. Taking charge this week is our guest Karen Gill, a Culture Expert & Change Practitioner from 2 The Point.
 
Certainly, culture is part of the ‘Iceberg syndrome’. It is the stuff that sits below the surface, it’s what drives behaviour and drives decisions. You can’t touch it, you can’t feel it but it’s there and it becomes obvious every day.
 
Karen takes us through the process of culture change from discovery, through to action and the ways to successfully embed this within your organisation. In addition, she explains the role of HR in facilitating change with the sponsorship of senior management.
 
Therefore, this culture change masterclass is a great way to understand who needs to drive change and why it’s important that senior managers understand the journey that needs to be taken.
 
VALUABLE RESOURCES

Host of The HR Uprising Podcast, Lucinda Carney, is also the founder and CEO of Actus Software, where you can find additional free HR Resources: https://actus.co.uk/free-performance-management-resources/
The Cultural Organisational Assessment Tool - Cameron & Quinn
Join the HR Uprising LinkedIn Group

 
KEY TAKEAWAYS
HR’s role in culture

Whilst we can be instrumental in creating the right environment, holding a mirror to the organisation the culture is the responsibility of management and the senior leadership team.
Furthermore, HR should be facilitating culture change within the organisation.

Discovery

When you are first called into a company it’s important to understand why you are there.
Do they know what they want to change?
Are they genuine about their cultural needs?
The collateral a company has will give you a sense of what the organisation has culturally.
What are the stories and success criteria across the different areas of the company?
In discovery, it’s about looking at a range of elements to gain a ‘complete picture’.
There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong culture, its what’s fit for purpose for the organisation.

 
Action

Once you have got to a point where you understand where the company wants to go then you can take action.
Culturally you can set a direction but the interpretation in different teams across the company can be quite different.
It’s about harnessing your senior managers to understand the journey that needs to be taken.

Embed

Having a list of things you are going to stop doing is as important as the list of things you are going to do.
Developing action plans is really important to drive the momentum of change.
Look for a change that is symbolic and easily demonstrable. Keep doing it over and over until it turns into what is usual.

 
BEST MOMENTS

'There are those companies that need to make a big change and those that need to promote more, what they already have’
‘Change has to be driven from the top’
‘I’m not there to determine what their culture is, there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong culture, its what’s fit for purpose for them’

 
ABOUT THE GUEST
Karen Gill is an organisational culture and change expert who works with businesses both large and small to create the culture they need to live by to achieve their vision and work within to deliver their strategy.
 
An experienced HRD for over 20 years, she has worked across a range of sectors and industries. About 5 years ago, she became heavily involved in change and organisational culture, having successfully led the global publishing company she was working for through a realignment of its culture to meet the needs of its new strategic direction. Since then, culture has become her passion. With a deep area of expertise, Karen has supported a variety of organisations with alongside organisational design and change projects. Karen has found that her background in practical people strategies has enhanced her understanding of just how to diagnose current cult