Building a Culture of Distinction : Activities and Tools to Lead Organizational Change

Building a Culture of Distinction is an organizational change management program. This Facilitator Guide is designed for those individuals who will be leading the program. This book provides a comprehensive, step-by-step process to define and shape your organizational culture and manage organizational change.

This program addresses many of the challenges an organization faces that can threaten its success and its bottom line. For example: Have you lost key talent? Do your employees seem stressed and unhappy at work? Are employees neither united by values nor vision? Is the organization growing fast but losing focus? Does your organization need a new direction? Is your organization experiencing a merger or acquisition? Is your strategic planning disconnected from the culture that must support it? Is change needed but no one has a process to make it stick?

This Facilitator Guide provides activities and tools to build a culture of distinction. The process has a four-phased cycle. In Phase 1, you will facilitate a Core Culture Assessment where all employees participate in defining the organization’s Core Culture. In Phase 2, you will facilitate a Core Culture Alignment Audit where employees will identity the degree of alignment of the Practices and Projections with the Core Culture, and they will make recommendations to increase alignment. In Phase 3, you will guide the development of a Core Culture Alignment Plan and set measures to monitor change. Finally, in Phase 4, employees will execute and monitor the plan, tracking measures to ensure progress in implementing change.

This Facilitator Guide is divided into two sections. Section A: Planning the Program includes materials to guide the facilitator in planning the implementation of this culture and change management program. This section includes background information, definitions, suggestions on when to use this program, an explanation of the program cycle, a review of the implementation steps, a worksheet tool, and sample questions for interviews, open-ended surveys and focus groups. Section B: Conducting the Program has the same content as the companion workbook Building a Culture of Distinction: Participant Workbook for Defining Organizational Culture and Managing Change. The only difference is the inclusion of Facilitator Notes inserted in the side margins to guide you in implementing the program. Section B provides information, activities, tools and techniques to define and shape your organizational culture, audit it for alignment with your workplace Practices and Projections, and create and implement a plan to live the Core Culture principles that will generate success. Some activities work best in a group setting. Others can be completed individually. Adapt the program to fit your needs.

To support program implementation, there is the Building a Culture of Distinction: Participant Workbook for Defining Organizational Culture and Managing Change. This workbook is for employees who take part in the Building a Culture of Distinction Program. An additional resource is the book There Is No Place Like Work, an ideal reading assignment for employees to jumpstart the learning process.

Begin Building a Culture of Distinction in your organization. Lead the process to craft your organization's culture and facilitate change. Use culture to drive your organization's success.