For many companies, cultural transformation represents the decisive change needed to ensure sustainable success in a dynamic market environment. It accompanies the process of putting existing values, behaviours and beliefs to the test and boldly reshaping them. In the context of cultural transformation, KIROI step 4 has a particular impact as a game changer because it specifically places managers at the centre of the change and strengthens their role as role models.
Why is cultural transformation essential today?
Companies today are under constant pressure to adapt due to digitalisation, globalisation and increasingly complex markets. Cultural transformation is more than a superficial restyling of the corporate culture. It aims to break deeply rooted patterns in order to create an environment that effectively supports innovation, agility and collaboration. This enables organisations to maintain and strengthen their competitiveness in the long term. In many projects, managers report that it is precisely the conscious involvement of all employees and a clear direction that represent the central challenge.
An example from a medium-sized company shows how a formerly hierarchical company became an agile organisation through cultural transformation: The managers learnt to promote an open feedback culture and to distribute decision-making powers. This significantly increased employee loyalty.
In the automotive industry, cultural transformation often reaches its limits when old values such as the „top-down command structure“ have persisted for too long. In many cases, transruptions coaching accompanies this change by supporting managers on this path and providing suitable impetus for new leadership cultures.
In the IT sector, too, it is clear that speed and flexibility can only be achieved if a culture that allows for mistakes and promotes learning is practised. This often requires a transformation of personal attitudes at management level.
KIROI step 4: Managers as key drivers of cultural transformation
The fourth step in the KIROI model often acts as a turning point in cultural transformation. Managers are not passive executors, but active shapers and role models. Their authentic implementation of the new values creates a ripple effect within the entire organisation and acts as a multiplier for cultural change.
Three examples illustrate the practical effect of step 4:
In a global consumer goods company, the transformation only really began to gain momentum when the management team learnt in workshops to communicate constructive feedback openly and at the same time to be open to criticism themselves. This led to a noticeable culture of trust and greater commitment.
In the healthcare sector, a special coaching programme helped managers to make decision-making processes more transparent and to see mistakes as learning opportunities. The teams perceived the change as appreciative and motivating. This showed how important the reflected personal attitude of management is for cultural change.
BEST PRACTICE with one customer (name hidden due to NDA contract)
The managers of this technical service provider took part in regular team coaching sessions. They developed a shared understanding of values such as openness and cooperation. This shared attitude quickly manifested itself in lived rituals, such as short daily dialogue formats, which strengthened trust across the individual departments.
Practical tips for effective leadership in cultural transformation
To make KIROI step 4 effective, we recommend focussing on the following fields of action:
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Regular reflection on your own attitude and behaviour. Managers need to recognise their own blind spots in order to lead authentically.
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Participation in coaching sessions and interactive workshops that take a practical approach to the challenges of cultural transformation.
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Development of shared values and behavioural patterns in the management team in order to establish a cohesive role model system.
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Promoting transparency and communication at all levels, for example through regular team discussions, feedback rounds and open meeting formats.
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Show long-term commitment, because real cultural transformation takes time and continuous care.
How cultural transformation is sustainably anchored
The sustainable anchoring of new cultural patterns is not only reflected in behavioural changes, but also in structures and processes. For example, new values can be anchored in recruiting by checking applicants for their cultural fit. This leads to a more stable interplay of values and actions.
In production, too, it has been shown that integrating cultural transformation into day-to-day operations - for example in the form of lean methods or quality circles that focus on new forms of collaboration - keeps the culture alive. Employees often report that they feel more involved as a result.
In addition, clear measures of success and visible recognition of progress ensure that cultural transformation is not seen as a one-off action, but as a living, ongoing process.
My analysis
Cultural transformation is a complex but crucial process for the future viability of companies. KIROI step 4 plays a key role here because the behaviour and attitude of managers have a direct impact on the entire company. Practical experience shows that this clear focus on managers as drivers can significantly accelerate and deepen the transformation project.
Successfully mastering cultural transformation requires long-term commitment, openness to new ways of thinking and behaviour and accompanying professional support. This turns initial ideas and visions into tangible changes that strengthen employees and the organisation in the long term.
Further links from the text above:
[1] The path to successful cultural transformation
[2] Cultural transformation - 4 steps and 4 networks
[4] Mastering cultural transformation: KIROI step 4 for ...
[5] Cultural change: 6 effective steps to transform corporate culture ...
[8] Success is what happens! Best practice example shows how ...
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