Changing Company Culture Requires a Movement, Not a Mandate, by Jonathan H. Westover PhD

Abstract: Changing cultures within organizations has proven very difficult to achieve through top-down mandates and directives alone. However, some companies have succeeded in catalyzing large-scale cultural transformations by taking a different approach - sparking grassroots movements from within. This practitioner research brief examines why movements are more effective than mandates at shifting underlying organizational mindsets and norms in lasting ways. Drawing on theories of self-determination, diffusion of innovations, and lessons from impactful social movements, it explores how leaders can cultivate internal change agents to champion a compelling vision that aligns with employees' intrinsic values and purposes. Case examples from Southwest Airlines and healthcare demonstrate how grassroots pioneering, not administrative edicts, fundamentally reshaped entire industries over time. The brief concludes by advising leaders seeking profound cultural change to empower bottom-up movements rather than attempting to force compliance through top-down mandates.

Episode Transcript

Changing Company Culture Requires a Movement,Not a Mandate Abstract (00:00):
Changing cultures within organizations has proven very difficult to achieve through top-down mandates and directives alone.

(00:12):
However,some companies have succeeded in catalyzing large-scale cultural transformations by taking a different approach - sparking grassroots movements from within.
This practitioner research brief examines why movements are more effective than mandates at shifting underlying organizational mindsets and norms in lasting ways.

(00:32):
Drawing on theories of self-determination,diffusion of innovations,
and lessons from impactful social movements,it explores how leaders can cultivate internal change agents to champion a compelling vision that aligns with employees' intrinsic values and purposes.
Case examples from Southwest Airlines and healthcare demonstrate how grassroots pioneering,

(00:55):
not administrative edicts,fundamentally reshaped entire industries over time.
The brief concludes by advising leaders seeking profound cultural change to empower bottom-up movements rather than attempting to force compliance through top-down mandates.
As a management consultant and academic researcher,
I have advised countless organizations large and small on improving performance by transforming company culture.

(01:23):
Time and again,I have seen well-intentioned leaders attempt to forcibly mandate cultural changes through top-down directives,
only to meet resistance and see little lasting impact.
However,in rare cases where cultural shifts have truly taken hold,
what emerged was not a directive but a grassroots movement organized and led from within by energized change agents.

(01:47):
Today we will explore why mandated change so often fails while movements succeed,
providing research-backed theory as well as practical examples and recommendations for catalyzing genuine cultural evolution from the bottom up.
The Limits of Mandates There is a reason leaders are instinctually tempted to mandate cultural changes- it seems logical and efficient to assert new priorities and behaviors from the highest levels of authority.

(02:14):
However,a wealth of cross-industry research suggests mandated changes rarely achieve deep or sustained success in shifting a company's underlying norms and mindsets (Kotter,
1996;
Martin & Butler, 2015).
When changes are imposed externally without buy-in,

(02:35):
employees respond with mere surface-level compliance instead of genuine internalization (Gagné et al.
, 2010).
Resentment builds toward leaders perceived as disconnected from ground realities,
and new directives are easily abandoned once oversight decreases (Achua & Lussier,

(02:56):
2010).
This dynamic is understandable through the lens of self-determination theory,
which posits that humans naturally resist being externally controlled and instead embrace initiatives they feel autonomous in supporting (Deci & Ryan,
1985).
Mandates undermine this sense of autonomy by neglecting what truly motivates employees- their internal values and purposeful work (Pink,

(03:24):
2009).
Leaders must recognize that cultural evolution requires voluntary participation,
not forced submission (Amaladoss & Manohar,2013).
No decree alone can transform hearts and minds overnight.
The Power of Movements In contrast to mandates,movements achieve widespread and lasting buy-in because they empower internal champions to catalyze bottom-up change aligned with shared principles and aspirations (Friedman,

(03:55):
2016;
King, Jr.
, 2010).
Take for example the civil rights movement led by Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
- he did not decree racial equality from on high but rather tapped into the moral mission and democratic spirit already stirring grassroots communities.

(04:16):
Through non-violent organizing,compelling rhetoric,
and moral appeals to conscience,he constructed a unified front that ultimately shifted the national consciousness (Lewis,
1998;
Carson, 2012).
Similar dynamics unfold in organizations.

(04:37):
When a few catalytic leaders articulate a compelling vision and mobilize others to actively support innovative new paths,
it sparks an unstoppable movement culture (Christensen,
1997;
Gladwell, 2002).
People feel invested in initiatives they help create rather than those imposed externally.

(05:01):
Enthusiastic pioneers bring others on board through personal relationships,
creating a multiplier effect as the movement's energy and ideals spread organically (Miller,
2005).
Before they know it,leaders have a critical mass championing formerly radical propositions that have become the new normal (Dobson,

(05:23):
2011;
Larson & LaFasto, 2001).
Heeding the Research in Practice Thus,leaders seeking to reshape their company cultures would be wise to take a page from history's most impactful social movements.
They must cultivate internal change agents, not decree changes from above.

(05:44):
This requires first understanding what intrinsic values and callings truly motivate one's workforce through in-depth interviews and surveys.
Appeal to these higher purposes by articulating a compelling vision of how new cultural ideals can better fulfill them (Kotter,
2012;
Collins & Porras, 2002).

(06:06):
Next,identify early adopters with the relationships,
charisma,and ideas to start informally organizing others around this vision.
Invest in equipping them to lead labs,lunch-and-learns,
and feedback sessions bringing more colleagues on board voluntarily (Rogers,
2010;

(06:27):
Erdley, 2017).
As excitement builds,formally recognize and celebrate the pioneering work surfacing from bottom-up experimentation.
Before mandating anything top-down,allow an internally-driven movement to take shape and prove itself.
Case Examples Two brief examples illustrate how this approach reshaped entire industries.

(06:50):
At Southwest Airlines,Herb Kelleher intentionally avoided mandates and instead personally rallied employees around the radical vision of affordable,
enjoyable air travel through grassroots organizing (Freiberg & Freiberg,
1996).
His ability to clearly articulate higher purposes and empower others to lead the way sparked an internal revolution in the stodgy airline sector.

(07:16):
Likewise in healthcare,the culture of doctor-centered care began evolving not through administrative fiat but through grassroots pioneer physicians championing more patient-centric,
value-based models (Porter & Teisberg,2006).
By banding informal communities behind an equally compelling vision of affordable,

(07:37):
high-quality care for all,these movements have fundamentally reshaped norms within their fields in enduring ways that mandates never could.
Conclusion - Move Culture Through People,Not Decrees Leaders seeking long-term cultural evolution would do well to let principles of self-determination,
organic spread,and empowered change agents guide their efforts rather than top-down mandates.

(08:02):
While edicts may achieve technical compliance,only grassroots movements can transform deeper attitudes from the bottom up in ways that last.
The key is cultivating early adopters passionate about a compelling new vision,
then empowering and celebrating their pioneering efforts to bring others onboard.
Rather than dictating change externally,leaders must move culture by connecting authentically with what already motivates people internally.

(08:30):
With care and time,they can spark unstoppable movements through which the workforce leads itself to higher ground.
History shows this approach achieves revolution where mere mandates and quick fixes fail.
For organizations serious about profound and lasting cultural betterment,
sparking such movements from within should become the goal,

(08:52):
not slapping on changes from on high.