Cultural transformation is one of the most important challenges facing companies today. Managers in particular play a central role here, as they are not only the driving force but also the trailblazers on this path. KIROI Step 4 is located precisely in this area of tension and provides specific support for managers in successfully accompanying and shaping cultural transformations. In this article, you will find out how you as a manager can master this step and which practical impulses can help.
Cultural transformation: Why leadership is the key to success
A cultural transformation can only succeed if managers are involved and actively involved from the outset. Their behaviour, decisions and attitude have a significant impact on the corporate culture. In a large manufacturing company, for example, an open error culture was established through targeted coaching of the management team, which led to processes being developed more creatively. At the same time, managers are role models who create trust through authenticity and openness.
One example from a medium-sized IT service provider showed how a transparent management style and empathetic communication increased employee commitment and thus supported the cultural change. Similarly, in a logistics company, the joint development of new management guidelines strengthened team cohesion and increased acceptance of new processes.
Through this role as shapers of culture, managers make a decisive contribution to ensuring that cultural transformation has a lasting effect and does not just remain superficial.
KIROI step 4: Leadership as active support for change
In the KIROI approach, step 4 is the phase in which managers are specifically prepared for their role as culture drivers. This involves working out individual strengths, but also identifying barriers that make change more difficult. Similar to a coaching process for a management team at a technology company, learned behaviours and new values are anchored in day-to-day management.
Networking within the organisation is also important: managers not only learn to reflect on their own attitude, but also how to involve their departments and teams in the cultural transformation. In one service company, for example, this was initiated by a cross-departmental working group, which brought the new values to life in daily customer contact.
This also means that managers must allow open feedback without defending themselves and show a willingness to learn. In one production company, this led to a continuous dialogue between management and employees, which significantly accelerated the implementation phase of the cultural transformation.
BEST PRACTICE with one customer (name hidden due to NDA contract) The managers were prepared for their future role through individual coaching and workshops. Individual potential was discovered and specific measures for day-to-day management work were developed. This enabled the company to quickly communicate the values of the new culture to the teams and communicate them clearly.
Practical tips for supporting cultural transformation for managers
The following approaches support sustainable cultural transformation:
- Promote regular dialogue and a feedback culture: Managers should create spaces in which employees can openly express their opinions and concerns.
- Consciously use the role model function: Leadership can only be credible if the leaders themselves live the new values - for example through transparent communication or participatory decision-making.
- Strengthen individual development: Offering coaching or mentoring for managers increases their self-reflection and promotes cultural change.
- Adapt structures and processes: Management should ensure that organisational structures and processes support the desired culture and do not block it.
- Actively involve employees: Cultural transformation is more successful when all levels are involved and not just when measures come „from above“.
An example from the healthcare sector shows how the introduction of regular feedback rounds and participative decision-making processes sustainably improved the working atmosphere and increased motivation. A financial services provider also supported its managers with workshops on self-management and resilience in order to shape the cultural change in a safe and focussed manner.
Challenges on the path to cultural transformation
Despite good intentions, cultural changes are often associated with resistance. Employees may show uncertainty or rejection because they have to abandon old patterns. Different ideas of „appropriate management behaviour“ also complicate the process.
It is therefore essential for managers to be patient and actively listen. In a large retail company, it helped to take individual concerns seriously and to use change ambassadors to communicate perspectives and build bridges. Clear communication of the vision and the positive reasons for the change also supports acceptance.
The bottom line for managers is that cultural transformation means creating an environment that promotes learning, trust and solidarity. This enables them to guide the organisation through this dynamic phase.
My analysis
Cultural transformation is a complex and long-term process that must be decisively supported and kept alive by the management level. KIROI Step 4 offers a practical framework that empowers managers to consciously assume their role as cultural role models and drivers of change. Sustainable change can only be established through active support and authentic behaviour.
Practical impulses such as coaching, regular dialogue and the adaptation of structures are crucial here. At the same time, it is important to deal openly with challenges and support employees in a trusting manner. With this attitude, cultural transformation can succeed and make the company fit for the future.
Further links from the text above:
[1] Employee retention as the key to cultural transformation
[2] Cultural transformation - 4 steps and networking
[4] The path to successful cultural transformation
[6] How a cultural transformation in the company succeeds
[9] Mastering cultural transformation: KIROI step 4 to success
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