Cultural Change Management

A couple of days ago, I had an opportunity to meet an exciting manager from a private higher education institution based in KL. We had a refreshing conversation on how his institution needs to embark on a high impact cultural change management program. It was so exciting to hear from him ideas and beliefs that I usually only hear from die-hard corporate figures. Here I was talking to a manager from an educational institution who has very clearly integrated his need to maintain the special characteristic of his business with the real demand of the business world. More importantly, he has realized very early on that the only way his institution is going to face up to the multifaceted challenges is by going through a clearly defined and designed cultural change management program.

For me, an organization is a living breathing organism and it has a culture. Its culture could be the natural result of years of existence, a carefully designed one, or a combination of both. The way it does its business will be to a large extent a reflection of its culture. In fact, organizations often fail not because they have lost their competitive edge per se but due to their failure to adjust their business culture vis a vis the changes, challenges and innovations of any given period of time.

So, kudos to all of you managers and leaders out there who have realized the importance of getting the DNA of your organizational culture sorted out. I wish you the best.