Driving Culture at Scale

 Cultural change in complex enterprises is no small feat. This episode shares practical strategies to assess, align, and shift organisational culture at scale. Learn how to lead with clarity, build leadership alignment, and overcome resistance in real-world transformation scenarios. Ideal for managers, consultants, and transformation leaders ready to drive lasting change. Tune in now!

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Transcript

Imagine trying to turn an ocean liner while it’s moving at full speed.

Now imagine you not only need to change its direction, but also convince every crew member to actively help steer towards the new destination.

That’s what cultural transformation in large enterprises feels like—an immense challenge involving scale, complexity, and deeply ingrained behaviours.

I’m Rob Llewellyn, and today we’re going to explore how successful organisations drive cultural transformation at scale.

If you’re leading change in a large organisation or consulting with leaders, this episode is designed to equip you with practical strategies that work in real-world scenarios.

Cultural transformation in large enterprises isn’t just about tweaking processes or launching new initiatives.

It’s about fundamentally shifting the collective mindset and behaviour of thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of people across different regions and functions.

Unlike small organisations, where change can be more direct and immediate, large enterprises face unique complexities.

There are multiple subcultures, each with its own norms and resistance points.

There’s also legacy—decades of established practices that have become second nature.

And then there’s the web of stakeholders, from front-line staff to executives, all experiencing and influencing culture in different ways.

To navigate this complex landscape, you need a structured approach.

The first step is assessing your current state.

You can’t change what you don’t understand.

Successful organisations take the time to diagnose their existing culture across different divisions and regions. 

This isn’t just about running surveys; it’s about deep listening—through interviews, focus groups, and even observing everyday behaviours.

Once you have a clear picture, the next step is defining your target culture.

This is where many organisations stumble.

The goal isn’t to impose a one-size-fits-all culture.

It’s to define a set of core values and behaviours that resonate across diverse groups while allowing room for local adaptation.

This ensures the transformation feels relevant to everyone, whether they’re working in corporate headquarters or on the factory floor. 

After defining your target culture, you’ll need a detailed plan for closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

This involves identifying specific behaviours, systems, and symbols that need to change.

For example, if you want to foster a culture of innovation, you might need to update performance metrics, provide new training, and create visible symbols of change, like innovation labs or idea-sharing platforms.

Now, let’s talk about implementation strategies.

One of the most critical elements is leadership alignment.

In large enterprises, leaders set the tone for culture.

If leaders at different levels aren’t aligned behind the transformation, it’s going to fall apart quickly.

Successful organisations invest in aligning their leaders through workshops, coaching, and regular check-ins. 

Another powerful strategy is building change ambassador networks.

These are networks of employees who are passionate about the transformation and can influence their peers.

By empowering and equipping these ambassadors, you create a grassroots movement that complements top-down leadership.

And of course, communication is key.

But not just any communication—consistent messages that adapt to local contexts.

This means balancing global consistency with local relevance, so the message resonates no matter where it’s delivered.

Now, even with the best strategies, you’re going to encounter challenges.

Resistance is inevitable in any large-scale change.

Some people will resist out of fear, others because they don’t see the value.

The key is to identify resistance early and address it through dialogue, training, and support.

Another challenge is maintaining momentum.

Cultural transformation isn’t a one-time project—it’s a multi-year journey.

Successful organisations sustain momentum by celebrating quick wins, regularly communicating progress, and continuously engaging their workforce.

It’s also critical to be willing to course-correct.

Sometimes, your initial approach won’t work as planned. 

Recognising when something isn’t working and adapting your strategy is a sign of strong leadership, not failure.

Measuring cultural change can be tricky, but it’s essential. 

You need both quantitative metrics, like engagement scores and turnover rates, and qualitative indicators, like stories of behavioural change and observed shifts in decision-making.

Tracking progress regularly ensures you’re staying on course and allows you to make informed adjustments.

Finally, let’s talk about making the change stick.

Sustaining cultural transformation requires embedding new cultural elements into everyday processes.

This means integrating them into hiring, onboarding, performance management, and leadership development.

It also means reinforcing desired behaviours by recognising and rewarding them consistently.

Remember, culture isn’t static—it’s dynamic.

The most successful organisations don’t just transform once; they build the capability to continuously evolve their culture in response to changing circumstances.

If you’re ready to start driving cultural transformation in your organisation, begin by assessing your current culture, aligning your leadership, and building a clear roadmap.