Culture Shift: A Practical Guide to Managing Organizational Culture

Culture Shift is a business book that provides guidance on how to shift an organization's culture, focusing on the importance of stakeholder consideration and the need for sustainable change. It draws on behavioral economics to identify where people make decisions and form new habits to create a lasting culture shift. The book covers communication, implementation, measurement, and dealing with pushback from senior leadership.

Format: Hardback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 25 July 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Shortlisted for the 2020 Business Book Awards, Culture Shift: How to Create a Sustainable Culture Shift in Your Organization, by Kirsty Bashforth, is a groundbreaking guide to transforming organizational culture. Recognizing that culture is not just about the bottom line but also about the values, environment, and health of an organization, the book provides practical strategies for shifting culture in a sustainable and effective way.

One of the key challenges facing businesses today is the need to change their culture. Too often, culture change is seen as a project with a defined end point, and once the project is considered "done," the dominant culture re-emerges and things go back to how they were. Culture Shift challenges this notion by recognizing that culture is not static and that it can be shifted through a series of small, incremental changes.

The book is based on behavioral economics, which recognizes that people do not always make average assumptions or follow rational logic. Changing a culture, therefore, is not about telling people what to do and expecting them to fall neatly in line, but about identifying where they are now and how they make decisions, in order to help them form new habits that will create a sustainable culture shift.

Using her extensive experience, Kirsty Bashforth outlines exactly what it takes to oversee sustainable culture change in an organization. The book explores how to communicate cultural expectations to a number of stakeholders, implement new, lasting habits in the workforce, effectively measure and track organizational culture, and deal with pushback from senior leadership when the planned culture shift risks falling lower on their agenda.

One of the key strategies outlined in the book is the importance of creating a culture of transparency and accountability. This involves being open and honest about the organization's values, goals, and performance, and holding individuals and teams accountable for their actions. By creating a culture of transparency and accountability, employees are more likely to feel engaged and motivated, and they are more likely to make decisions that are in the best interests of the organization.

Another key strategy is the importance of creating a sense of belonging and community. This involves creating opportunities for employees to connect with each other, share their ideas, and feel valued. By creating a sense of belonging and community, employees are more likely to be committed to the organization and to work together to achieve its goals.

The book also provides practical strategies for measuring and tracking organizational culture. This involves using surveys, interviews, and other data-gathering techniques to measure the culture of the organization and to identify areas for improvement. By measuring and tracking organizational culture, organizations can make informed decisions about how to improve their culture and to ensure that it is aligned with their goals.

In addition to providing practical strategies for shifting culture, Culture Shift also provides a number of case studies and examples of organizations that have successfully shifted their culture. These case studies provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that organizations face when shifting their culture, and they provide examples of the strategies that have been successful.

One of the key challenges that organizations face when shifting their culture is the resistance from senior leadership. Senior leadership may be resistant to change because they are comfortable with the current culture and because they may not see the value in shifting culture. By providing senior leadership with a clear understanding of the benefits of shifting culture, and by providing them with the tools and resources they need to support the shift, organizations can overcome this resistance.

Another challenge that organizations face when shifting their culture is the need to maintain a consistent message across all channels. This involves ensuring that the message that is being communicated to employees, customers, and clients is consistent and that it is aligned with the organization's values and goals. By maintaining a consistent message across all channels, organizations can build trust and credibility with their stakeholders and can ensure that their culture is sustainable over the long term.

In conclusion, Culture Shift: How to Create a Sustainable Culture Shift in Your Organization is a groundbreaking guide to transforming organizational culture. By recognizing that culture is not just about the bottom line but also about the values, environment, and health of an organization, the book provides practical strategies for shifting culture in a sustainable and effective way. Whether you are a business owner, manager, or employee, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to create a culture that is sustainable and that is aligned with their goals.

Weight: 612g
Dimension: 165 x 240 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472966209