How successful organisations create, transform and maintain their cultures

Culture is difficult to create well, transform and maintain, but a couple of organisations have been able to create, transform and maintain cultures that both drive performance and engage their employees. Here are four of them: Microsoft, BBVA, Aurecon Group and Wegmans. 

Microsoft: When Satya Nadella joined the group as CEO he set out to rebuild the company culture. One of the first things Satya asked his Executive team to do when he joined was to read Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication on empathic collaboration. He has also inspired everyone in the organisation to have a “learn-it-all” curiosity and engage with each other and customers in new and more modern ways. “We needed a culture that allowed us to constantly refresh and renew,” he explains. He really practices growth mindset and empathy to drive a change in the organisation. Satya has stopped infighting restored morale and created more than U$ 250 billion in market value for Microsoft.

BBVA. In recent years BBVA shifted its culture towards collaborative work and a more flexible and open culture that encourages innovation. They called it “The New Approaches to Work” project and was linked with the strategic goals of becoming a genuinely digital bank. They made people the core of the transformation. They started by gaining an in-depth understanding of people’s current habits, practices and usual pathways of action. To do this, they used an ethnographic study (workshops and confidential interviews). This helped them understand the functional AND emotional needs of their people. They drew up notional profiles of people and designed the way people work according to these profiles. They piloted it first, before rolling it out at scale. They designed their values into the work spaces – openness and transparency, productivity, exchange of insights, family-related services, sustainability and more. 

Aurecon Group . Over the last few years the Aurecon People team have been working on a culture change initiative. They used a design thinking methodology and partnered with internal and external stakeholders to identify the characteristics needed for Aurecon people to be future ready and partner effectively with their clients. This led to the creation of the Aurecon Attributes which they launched using various culture campaigns and encouraging employees to post photos showcasing their main Aurecon Attribute. 

Wegmans: Known as the anti-Walmart of supermarkets (with 42,000 employees), Wegmans spends 40 hours training employees before they interact with customers. They are sent on trips around the US to learn about the products, there is no retirement age and all profits are reinvested in the company or shared with employees. The first question they always ask themselves is: “Is this the best for the employee?” and it pays off for them. The company is profitable, its prices are low and it has incredible customer service. "We've proven that you can grow and treat your people well." 

So what can we learn from these organisations? 

• Put the client at the centre
• Use growth mindset and empathy as cornerstones 
• Use design thinking and ethnographic methods
• Involve all relevant stakeholders in the design and roll out
• Create simple value or attribute statements and embed it in everything you do
• Make it personal
• Pilot and test before scaling