What is a culture change consultant?
A culture change consultant can be a great asset to your business – but what does the role entail? When you’re in business, you’ll likely hear the term ‘company culture’ bounced around within corporate circles. If you don’t know already, your company culture is what makes you, you – the core values, beliefs and behaviours that guide the actions of everyone within your business. This term envelopes many different aspects of what life is like at your company and how things are done. This includes everything from incentivisation and interactions between management and employees; to how strategies are rolled out and the types of benefits employees receive as part of their contracts. Corporate culture consulting (also known as culture change consulting) is becoming increasingly popular as companies realise the importance of a well-aligned, positive culture – or recognise where they may need to improve the status quo. So why is culture consulting so valuable for businesses and what does it involve?
The benefits of changing your workplace culture
Undergoing an organisational culture change is no mean feat. It has to be carefully considered, and will ideally be overseen by an expert (more on this later). But for most companies an overhaul where needed brings a variety of amazing benefits, including (but not limited to):
- Enhanced employee productivity and motivation
- Improved performance overall in your industry
- Increased competitive advantage over peers
- Greater ability to adapt to change (both welcome and unexpected)
- A better work environment
It’s not always easy to know when to bring in a culture change consultant, but as a rule of thumb, your company culture should at least be reviewed periodically. In addition, if you don’t yet have your company culture outlined officially, it’s best to do so as soon as you can. You can use tools like the Cultural Values Assessment, interviews, surveys and more to assess your organisational culture. It might be time to consider culture consulting if:
- You have never heard of company culture and have never considered it for your business
- You cannot define your current company culture or struggle to focus on a clear vision for how things should be
- Your current company culture isn’t fully aligned with your brand values and objectives
- You have a high turnover of staff/poor talent retention
- Productivity is lower than it should be and inefficiency is costing you money
Once you’ve identified that a change needs to take place, you need someone with the skills and knowledge by your side every step of the way to implement your vision for the future – and that’s where corporate culture consulting comes in.
What is culture change consulting?
If you’re new to the concept of defining your values and transforming your company culture, you may be wondering what corporate culture consulting involves. Essentially, culture consulting takes the hard work out of culture change and manages the process for you. Your consultant will guide you from the initial planning stages right through to implementation and provide ongoing support as you settle into this new way of working. Here are just a few key stages of the process you can expect to be taken care of when you hire a specialist corporate culture consultant: Assessment of your current situation: What’s the situation right now, and what areas need to be improved? This will include looking at any pain points you might be experiencing, such as areas of low productivity or high staff turnover. Data analysis: This involves looking at the numbers for your business including financials but also your employee data, resources, strategy and operations to see where things could be running more efficiently. Employee research: Anonymous feedback from employees gained impartially through culture consulting will give an accurate impression of what it’s like to work for your company. It’s important to embrace this feedback with an open mind, as whilst there may be some negative and uncomfortable aspects to the feedback this signals that culture change is needed – and that it will have a positive impact on your company moving forward. Leadership support: Hiring someone to manage culture consulting for your company is all well and good, but the changes they recommend need to be properly implemented. A good culture consultant will likely stick around for a few months to make sure changes are being made effectively and support you as you ease into the new working environment. However, leadership must be willing to embrace and implement these changes.
How can TBG help change your culture?
Initiating a company culture change isn’t a decision to be taken lightly – and there are lots to consider before you take the plunge. Our useful guide takes you through the 7 principles you’ll need to consider when crafting a healthier culture – essential for fostering receptivity to change. Or you can speak to us today for candid, friendly expert guidance on enhancing company culture and performance and how a culture change consultant can benefit your business. Make positive culture change today
Find out more about our culture change services.