How do you know it is time for an organisational culture transformation? This was the conversation we led today at a panel discussion event for HR teams and CIPD members.
Ahead of the event, Nine Feet Tall asked all registered attendees to complete a survey to assess their organisation’s readiness for cultural change. The results suggest many organisations need to address issues relating to culture following the pandemic, as only 51% believe their company’s approach hybrid working is successful. Moreover, 44% believe their organisation has higher than average levels of turnover, burnout, and sickness.
Our event, inpartnership with CIPD was called “Transforming Organisational Culture” and featured guest panellists Alice Stephenson, Founder & CEO at Stephenson Law, Arjen Cooper-Rolfe, CEO at Involvement and Tiggy Atkinson, Partner at Nine Feet Tall. The event addressed the role of HR in transforming and maintaining a healthy organisational culture and explored who is ultimately responsible and accountable for company culture. Our research found 10% of HR professionals believe this responsibility lies with Senior Leaders, but the majority, 85%, think everyone within the organisation should be responsible. Tiggy suggested HR teams shouldn’t underestimate the value of bringing evidence-based issues to senior leaders to demonstrate the need for change.
Alice explained how she founded Stephenson Law to be purpose driven, and how they are looking to break down barriers in the legal sector. When discussing high performing teams and the importance of trust and empowerment, Alice shared: “Trust is a big issue in the legal sector. There are high levels of risk, and it is often hard for experienced lawyers to put their trust in more junior members of the firm. At Stephenson Law we empower our junior lawyers to have direct client contact and the space they need to do their jobs. I believe we have seen them develop faster because of this.”
Healthy organisational culture matters, regardless of sector or size. Not just for retaining and recruiting employees, but also in terms of the work delivered across the organisation. In fact, Forbes* reported “highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability” making their organisations more competitive and efficient. Moreover, employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work.
Nine Feet Tall will be running a free webinar in July to help organisations to get started on their culture transformation journey. If you’d like to know more about how Nine Feet Tall can help you assess your readiness for cultural change and kickstart the transformation for your organisation, contact us here.
Source: Culture Is A Company’s Single Most Powerful Advantage. Here’s Why (forbes.com)