Culture Change in Organisations: Turning Intent Into Lasting Impact

Culture change in organisations can’t be left to chance. It’s one of the most powerful drivers of performance and employee engagement, but it’s also one of the hardest to get right.

Leaders often start with a vision for a positive culture, but without a clear change process and strong leadership commitment, the reality falls short, resulting in employees who feel disconnected and a company culture that resists transformation.

At Farleigh, we’ve seen that successful culture change isn’t about one big initiative. It’s about consistent, values-led leadership with a clear strategy, and the willingness to face challenges head-on. In this article, we’ll break down how to change organisational culture in a way that sticks, and share real case studies of how it works in practice.

Table of Contents

• Why Culture Change in Organisations Matters
• How to Change Organisational Culture: A Realistic Approach
• Common Myths About Culture Change in Organisations
• The Challenges You’ll Face (and How to Tackle Them)
• Farleigh’s Path to Successful Culture Change
• Ready to Start Your Culture Change?

Why Culture Change in Organisations Matters

Organisational culture is the shared set of values and behaviours that shape how people work together. When it’s aligned with your strategy, it drives innovation and employee engagement, improving performance. When it’s not, it quietly holds your organisation back.

The hidden cost of avoiding culture change

An averse culture, one that resists transparency and avoids challenge, or rewards the wrong behaviours, will stall progress no matter how good your business plan is. Without addressing it, you risk:

• High employee turnover
  
• Slow decision-making
  
• Siloed teams and poor collaboration
  
• Missed opportunities for innovation
  

Culture change in organisations is about shifting both what’s valued and what’s rewarded, so that your people are set up to succeed in the current world of work, not the one you built your processes for ten years ago.

How to Change Organisational Culture: A Realistic Approach

Many leaders start with a vision statement or a new set of company values. While these are important, they’re not enough on their own. Real cultural transformation happens when leadership commitment is paired with consistent actions, supported by systems that make the right behaviours easy. 

Here’s what makes the difference:

1. Leadership That Models the Change

Culture change starts and ends with leadership. Senior leaders and managers set the tone for the workplace, whether they mean to or not. Good leadership means demonstrating the behaviours you want to see, even when under pressure.

In our work with Aston Manor, the UK’s second-largest cider maker, we saw how values-led leadership transformed a culture that had been siloed and slow to adapt. By engaging leaders in open dialogue to build trust and modelling the desired behaviours, they created a positive culture where accountability and collaboration replaced blame. Explore our Culture Consultancy services

2. Clear, Consistent Communication

In the change process, silence gets filled with assumptions. Leaders and managers need to communicate not just what is changing, but why and how employees will be involved. This keeps trust intact and prevents resistance from growing.

Practical tip: Share both progress and setbacks openly. When employees see honesty at the top, they’re more likely to share their own insights and concerns.

3. Involve Your People in the Change

Organisational change fails when it’s done to people instead of with them. Involving employees in shaping the culture builds ownership and commitment. This could mean workshops and feedback sessions or cross-functional projects that let people test and embed new ways of working.

At the Dyson Institute, we helped undergraduate student leaders step into their first leadership roles by co-creating a leadership development programme. This built not only leadership skills but also an innovative culture where feedback and accountability were part of everyday practice. Learn more about our Leadership Development approach

4. Embed Change Through Systems and Structures

If your processes reward old behaviours, your culture will slide back fast. Align your systems, performance management, recognition, recruitment, and development with your values framework. This turns positive culture from an aspiration into a habit.

5. Keep Momentum with a Culture Change Checklist

Change initiatives can lose steam if progress isn’t tracked. A simple checklist keeps leadership teams and stakeholders aligned.

Culture Change Checklist	Done?
Leadership team aligned and committed	☐
Clear vision and values framework in place	☐
Employees engaged in shaping the change	☐
Systems and processes aligned to values	☐
Regular communication on progress	☐
Feedback loops and course corrections in place	☐
Wins celebrated and shared across the organisation	☐

Common Myths About Culture Change in Organisations

Myth 1: Culture change is a quick project.
Reality: It’s an ongoing process requiring long-term leadership commitment.

Myth 2: New values automatically change behaviour.
Reality: Values only stick when backed by consistent action and aligned systems.

Myth 3: Culture change is HR’s job.
Reality: Leaders at every level influence organisational culture, whether they own it or not.

The Challenges You’ll Face (and How to Tackle Them)

Even with the best strategy, you’ll encounter:

• Resistance from employees who are comfortable with the current culture
  Involve them early, listen to concerns, and show how the change benefits them.
  
• Leaders not modelling the change
  Use coaching and mentoring to build alignment in the leadership team.
  

Misaligned incentives
Update performance and recognition systems to reward the right behaviours.

Farleigh’s Path to Successful Culture Change

At Farleigh, we take a hands-on, co-creative approach to cultural transformation. Our work spans:

• Culture Consultancy – helping you define, communicate, and live your values.
  
• Leadership Development – equipping leaders to guide transformation.
  
• Team Development – building collaboration and resilience in your workforce.
  

By combining these services, we help organisations create not just a plan for change, but a culture that sustains it.

Ready to Start Your Culture Change?

If your organisation is navigating a transformation or aiming to build a more positive culture, now is the time to act. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to shift entrenched habits.

At Farleigh, we work directly with business leaders and leadership teams to design culture change initiatives that work in the real world. Whether you need a full cultural transformation or targeted support for a change initiative, we’ll guide you from insight to action.

Let’s talk about your culture change goals.