Documented Essay
There are many elements that come to mind when discussing changes in culture. For example, cultural change can relate to either modifications in the workplace or personal environment. One of the major problems of change is that very few people want to admit to liking change in their lives. One can estimate that only around 25% of all people accept change in their lives and culture (Baker). Moreover, people tend to realize changes very late. Essentially, cultural change, if made in the positive direction, is a good thing for all those involved.
There ought to be a speedup of cultural change, for example, one can see that organizational culture needs evolution in many ways. One of the best tips is to promote one’s values and ensure that the new culture is accepting of that. One of the best tips that one can see is to prioritize behaviors that will have a big impact on the way that the company is able to implement its strategy. All aspects that will improve the visibility to others should be part of promoting one’s values in a culture that is not exactly aligned with those specific values (Neyfakh). One of the best approaches to amalgamating new behaviors in a culture is to ensure that the disruptive model is not used to change things swiftly and that is why these sudden changes do not work.
Corporate culture, itself, has changed in many ways, but the definition is the same. It refers to patterns of accepted behavior and values plus beliefs that reinforce and promote them. Behaviors will be easy to change only if one knows which behaviors to change (Kilmann, Mary & Roy). Previously conducted research has suggested many techniques to change culture do not always work and it requires a certain realm of optimism as far as human nature in concerned.
Changing culture to encapsulate modern beliefs can be an optimistic thing as one becomes more self-aware of personal biases, values, and beliefs. Having said that, learning about different cultures is a great way of understanding that culture shifts with modifications in values. While changing cultures to accommodate personal beliefs might be required in certain situations. People do tend to have different beliefs and they differ depending on certain cultures. One of the biggest difficulties is to make sure to not make judgments based on opinions. It is essential, however, that progress is required in the way that morality and thinking is expanded (Jeffrey). An example is seen when one thinks of trying to change the culture of a football team. One can think of appealing to the players and describing the meaning of right and wrong, and aim to bring about a sense of morality. However, to achieve such a progress, it is essential that one tries to stop insisting on virtuous and good values alone and instead focus on aspects like admiring the drive to become more powerful.
When a toxic culture prevails in some areas, whether it be one of domestic violence or corruption or also cheating in college, the simplest way is to go for a scorched earth approach. For instance, when in 2005, the Georgian president aimed to get rid of corruption in the country, and he fired as many as 30,000 officers. Such a change is equivalent to dealing with infestation by targeting the root of problems in any culture.
It is imperative to know that starting over is not the best way to change culture or bring an end to it. Such radical shifts are not always required to change the ‘bad’ with ‘good.’ It is essential that values are instilled in different cultures, all in the while, preserving and saving the newer culture with remnants of the older one.
Works Cited
Baker, Tom, and Jonathan Simon, eds. Embracing risk: The changing culture of insurance and responsibility. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Jeffrey, Candacy. More Than What’s On Paper: Seizing Opportunities To Grow. 13 March 2018. 15 April 2018. <https://www.forbes.com/sites/gradsoflife/2018/03/13/more-than-whats-on-paper-seizing-opportunities-to-grow/#77be43a3459c>.
Kilmann, Ralph H., Mary J. Saxton, and Roy Serpa. “Issues in understanding and changing culture.” California Management Review 28.2 (1986).
Neyfakh, Leon. How to change a culture. 23 September 2012. 15 April 2018. <https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2012/09/22/how-change-culture/HitMpC95xPFidEjEl2cx9J/story.html>.
