The folks at Strategy & Business just released a report summarizing the results of research  conducted by Booz & Co with over 2,200 global businesspeople on the role of culture in organizational change. http://bit.ly/1cH1fKC

The results are compelling.  Culture is a major factor impacting the success or failure of organizational change initiatives.  It is important to understand cultural barriers and enablers to change and use this understanding when planning change efforts.

They provide good examples of how to use cultural factors to assist with change implementation — tapping into employees at every level by using peer networks to demonstrate how the change supports what the organization stands for, rather than relying on top-down communications only; identifying a few critical behaviors and creating visibility and recognition when those behaviors are demonstrated.

Survey respondents echo what I’ve heard from many executives over the past few years.  There are so many changes happening simultaneously within organizations that people are experiencing change fatigue.  Big changes come across as fleeting trends and some prefer to “wait it out” rather than make any real changes.  Meaningful and lasting results often occur when people make small shifts in behavior in order to achieve better results.