Perhaps it is not so much culture, as it is values and behaviors, that are in apparent need of change. I finished up a Capstone project with a crushed stone company that embarked upon a “values mission”. They had a strong culture, as it had been a family owned business. Technology and competition caused them to look at their employees’ behaviors in light of the founders’ values.

In doing this, they identified their core values and spent an amazing amount of time using the words, in everyday speech, in performance discussions – everywhere. Some of the stories we heard during our project work were truly awesome, as employees “found their answers” in the values, and used them as a guide to make decisions.

This little company had solidified their culture through careful identification of values, and through a concerted effort to use the values to drive behavior.

I think you have a really good point about being clear what really needs to change and why….