EPILOGUE

THEORY VERSUS TACTICS

It seems like every article I’ve read on culture change contains some variation of “Changing culture is hard,” “It’s deeply embedded,” and “Change must come from the top.” And it seems mandatory to quote Peter Drucker who may or may not have said “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Or is it lunch?

Anyway, we all understand. Culture is critical, and changing it is difficult. Whether renovating a house or overhauling the culture of a century-old organization, it never goes completely as planned. The process demands optimism, patience, and perseverance.

This is likely quite obvious to most corporate executives. Even though most culture change efforts fail, everyone also knows it can indeed be accomplished—look no further than the organizations outlined in this book as proof. And clearly, it’s not an easy process. But too many pundits enjoy pontificating on the nuances and challenges versus embracing what works. There are many CEOs who have thought to themselves, Stop talking about how tough it is and just tell me how to do it.

Culture conversations are often long on theory and short on tactics, and my hope is that you’ve appreciated the spirit of this book—a blueprint of proven tactics. The 18 actions detailed in this book were cultivated from i4cp’s extensive research of thousands of companies and in-depth conversations with executives who have enabled culture change. Along with the real-life stories and data, I sincerely hope this book will be a guide that many who are initiating and sustaining culture renovation in their organizations can rely on for years to come.

While we’ve tried to capture the best and next practices of cultural renovation, we know there are more proven actions that others have used in their successful change efforts; we know that because we couldn’t fit some of them in the book. But there also will be new innovations and new next practices. Like culture change itself, we never envisioned this book to be a one-and-done effort. It will evolve over time, and it will never really be finished.

To facilitate this ongoing discussion, we’ve created a place for those interested in culture renovation. Please visit and contribute to this ongoing effort at www.culturerenovation.com. There, we document new and additional tactics, case studies, and next practices on renovating organizational culture. We’d like to hear your stories, your insights, and the practical applications (both what worked and what didn’t) that you’ve experienced. We also have exclusive content for purchasers of this book, among other useful items.

Together, we look forward to helping make your next culture change effort a renovation to be proud of.