Approach to Evolving Organizational Culture | Blue Beyond Consulting1

Approach to Evolving Organizational Culture | Blue Beyond Consulting2

Contents

Who is Blue Beyond

Foundational Thoughts

Our Approach

Approach to Evolving Organizational Culture | Blue Beyond Consulting3

Blue Beyond Consulting

We help companies in the midst of transformative change. We are "people side of business" generalists who bring a wide range of capabilities to help our clients achieve their goals—and create organizations where the people and the business can thrive.

OUR PURPOSE

Engage EmployeesWe galvanize employee understanding, enthusiasm, and ownership of strategy, goals, brand, values and behaviors.

Lead and Manage PeopleWe support leaders and managers — helping them build lasting individual, team and organizational capability.

Nurture Thriving CulturesWe help organizations connect their people to purpose, generating lasting employee commitment and authentic brand ambassadors.

Change Management that WorksWe help clients lead and manage complex change in ways that make people part of the solution, not the problem.

Improve Big C and Little C CommunicationWe drive alignment, collaboration and communication effectiveness among global, cross-functional executive leadership.

Inspire Collective Action & AchievementWe help organizations create compelling vision, mission, strategies and plans and we help them execute and achieve their goals.

Approach to Evolving Organizational Culture | Blue Beyond Consulting4

Experience in a Wide Variety of IndustriesWe have worked in nearly every industry, including energy, financial services, high tech, biotech, government, manufacturing, retail and consumer goods.

Approach to Evolving Organizational Culture | Blue Beyond Consulting5

What is Organizational Culture?

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ImpactWorkplace Trends Impacting Employee Expectations of Culture and Engagement

Speed of innovation is key to success

Workforce comprised of multiple generations across the globe –

“Generation C” (connect, collaborate, communicate)

Work is an activity, not a location – the growing

integration of work and life

Expanding social web can increase engagement

and collaboration

Companies no longer “own” their brands – who we are on the inside is

who we are on the outside

The era of “always on” customer engagement with expectation of a

unified experience across all channels

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Pitfalls to Avoid

Culture imposed top-down rather than engaging a critical mass in evolving

the culture

Leadership does not understand their critical role, nor do they model

their behaviors in line with the desired culture

Not enough middle management and

employee engagement, contribution and

collaboration

“Soft” side of culture (engaging vision, leadership

behaviors, etc.) not backed up by “means of execution” i.e. realignment of operational

processes and support systems

Failure to anchor desired culture and behaviors to

marketplace and company vision and strategy

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Our Approach

It’s rare to truly “change culture”—a better mental model is “evolve culture”

Why leads to what and how—a compelling business rationale is essential

Leadership is essential but not sufficient—“CEO-says” approaches rarely succeed

The method is the intervention—engaging and empowering employees to aspire to and cultivate an effective culture is the cornerstone to high-performing cultures

Brand/culture alignment—culture is invigorated when who we are on the inside and who we are on the outside is aligned

BASELINE ASSUMPTIONS

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Our Approach

Clarify how culture is linked to the future success of our business

Engage the organization to create a compelling culture aspiration

Align leadership commitment and behavior for success

Build architecture and plan to stimulate and sustain desired culture

Execute plan, empowering the organization to aspire and achieve

ADAPTABLE | APPRECIATIVE | PRACTICAL | HOLISTIC

Approach to Evolving Organizational Culture | Blue Beyond Consulting10

Our Approach

Evolving culture requires a clear and compelling case for change

Senior Leadership understanding and alignment on case for change is essential to ensure leadership sustains ownership of the effort

Taking the time up front to build this leadership understanding, alignment and ownership is key—and begins to lay the ground work for how leadership may need to shift in order to evolve culture

Ensuring agreements and governance processes are in place for brand/culture alignment is essential

Establishing “culture evolution team” to ensure cross-organizational and cross-functional (up/down and across) alignment, ownership and commitment is crucial—HR can not “own” culture change alone

Clarify how culture is linked to the future success of our business

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Our Approach

A generative, “organization up” approach (versus top-down approach) engages multiple levels in the discovery process and begins to build the foundation for engagement in culture evolution efforts overall

Utilizing qualitative methods such as culture “walks”, critical incident interviews, focus groups, leadership interviews, etc. help us observe “culture in action”, understand strengths, identify gaps, and reveal aspiration

Leverage technology to ensure global voices are engaged (video conference, WebEx/GoTo Meeting, pulse survey, poll anywhere, etc.)

Utilize cross-organizational working group (or groups) to support/validate findings and aspiration

A thoughtfully designed culture and engagement survey may be suggested to validate and augment qualitative findings and help lay the groundwork for culture evolution

Engage the organization to create a compelling culture aspiration

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Our Approach

Engage and involve leadership throughout the process to:o Build understanding of their role

o Equip them to become effective supporters and role models of the culture evolution

o Ensure ownership and alignment of the diagnosis and aspirational culture

o Translate aspirations to evolved culture framework (values andbehaviors) that they must portray and hold themselves accountable to

Leverage governance to ensure alignment of culture/brand initiatives

Coach/advise/scaffold key leaders as needed to ensure they show up as effective “amplifiers and enablers” of desired culture

Align leadership commitment and behavior for success

Approach to Evolving Organizational Culture | Blue Beyond Consulting13

Our Approach

Determine how aspirational culture is going to be nurtured and sustained in the organizationo HR/People practices, processes and tools (i.e., Development, TA,

Onboarding, Performance Management, Rewards and Recognition, etc.)

o Communication/Employee engagement initiatives, programs, tools, etc. that create/reinforce lore, meaning and identity

o “Launch” strategy—in alignment with brand/new building, etc.

o Leadership competencies, behaviors, programs initiatives

o Manager role, accountabilities and development

Establish “launch” and “sustaining” plan execution governance to ensure effective, collaborative and sustained implementation

Ensure ongoing organizational voice, buy-in and feedback—”nodes” throughout the organization that will enable us to sense what’s landing and taking hold and what adjustments need to be made

Align on key measures and metrics for progress

Build architecture and plan to stimulate and sustain desired culture

Approach to Evolving Organizational Culture | Blue Beyond Consulting14

Our Approach

Implement in a coordinated, aligned way—learn and adjust as we go

Clearly and consistently articulate evolved culture framework in ways that are meaningful to employees in their “day job”

Help employees internalize the culture through storytelling and lore

Provide scaffolding for desired leadership and manager behavior and role modeling

Empower employees to share own experiences through social platforms, mobile app, etc.

Explore other potential ways to roll out and keep alive such as culture videos, Website, engagement events, etc.

Celebrate how success gets enabled by culture

Execute plan, empowering the organization to aspire and achieve

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Things to consider

Culture and Strategy need to align in results-producing behaviors.o How will the desired future state culture enable business goal

achievement?

Cultures don’t change—people change cultures.o Who—among and beyond leadership—are the essential opinion

leaders and change agents we need to enlist?

Communication just increases confusion and lack of alignment if the mechanisms that really drive behavior are not aligned.o What 2-3 most important people processes need to be changed first

to create the conditions for culture change?

Progress milestones and outcome goals need to be owned by leadership.o What key metric(s) will all leaders be accountable for?

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Thank youTo learn more, please visit bluebeyondconsulting.com