Common Change Management Errors (86)

lxxxvi) Driving Culture By Decree

(The traditional approach is
"...relying on leaders to define the culture and cascading throughout the organisation or fully outsourcing the responsibility of shaping and building a culture by a HR group..."
John Kotter et al, 2021a

This 'push down from the top' rarely works as
"...these attempts often face major hurdles in typical management-centric organisation, which leans towards stability and reliability rather than change and agility, and whose leaders may view change as a threat..."
John Kotter et al, 2021a

Furthermore, only the 'top', ie management have ownership; this lack of ownership throughout the organisation has a negative impact on change's success.
"...lasting change arises from new behaviours, distilled over time, from many people across the organisation. True behavioural change requires that people become inspired by what's possible and driven to achieve that vision..."
John Kotter et al, 2021a

Culture cannot be imposed.

Good leaders tend to shape or guide the emergence of culture rather than defining it)