Shifting Mindsets: The Real Work of Culture Change

Cultural changes are not about hanging new slogans, office decorations, or even the company’s values in the break room. It is about transferring the mindset – a person, a team, a decision at a time.

As a culture change consultant, they have learned this truth to truth: most outfits underestimate the human side of change. They begin the initiative of change with great intentions and detailed plans but ignore the silent resistance in their people’s minds. This is where the real work begins – and where the real change takes root.

Culture Is What People Believe, Not Just What They Say

When we talk about culture, we talk about shared beliefs and behaviors that show people at work. These beliefs are often unspecified but are deeply rooted. They guide how people respond to risk, how they cooperate, and how they define success.

You can replace policies, restructure teams, and roll out the new mission statement, but if the underlying mentality remains the same, those changes will only scratch the surface.

Mindsets Are Shaped by Experience, Not Memos

Many companies try to implement change through communication campaigns, such as email, posters, videos, and town hall meetings. These are helpful, but they are not enough. Whatever people believe, they do not change it because someone told them. They change when they have new experiences that challenge old beliefs.

This is the place where culture design comes intentionally. If you want people to assume that failure is safe, then you need to create a safe-to-the-to environment. If you want people to believe that cooperation is important, then you need to encourage cross-functional victory, not only personal performance.

The Three Levels of Mindset Shift

In their work, they convert culture change into a mentality of three levels:

1. Individual Mentality

Culture change begins with each individual—how they think about their role, their team, and their power to influence. This is where coaching, reflection equipment, and personal storytelling come in. When people see themselves as active partners in shaping the culture rather than passive recipients, they begin to change.

2. Team Criteria

Teams are where culture lives day to day. If you want to move the culture, start by identifying norms and rituals within the major teams. What is rewarded? What is the punishment? What has been talked about, and what is the avoidance? Helping teams surface and reopen their criteria can unlock the powerful, collective mentality innings.

3. Organizational System

Finally, the system should support the new mindset. This includes performance reviews, onboarding, leadership development, communication channels, and decision-making processes. These systems signal “how things are done here.” If they refute the desired culture, the mindset returns to the old ways.

The best culture change efforts align all three levels. They begin with insight, behavior manufactured on innings and reinforced by the system.

Resistance Is Natural—And Manageable

When you start changing your mindset, you will face resistance. This is not a problem; it is a sign that you are doing meaningful work. People oppose change because it is not difficult but because it threatens identification, control, and safety.

As a culture change consultant, their job is to facilitate honest conversations, accept discomfort, and help people understand what is changing. Sympathy is important so there is clarity. People can tolerate uncertainty if they see, hear, and feel support.

Finding and supporting early adopters ready to model “who gets it” and the new mindset is also essential. They can become culture carriers who systematically affect others.

Metrics That Matter

One of the most common questions: “How do we measure culture change?”

This is a reasonable question, and the answer is not always straightforward. While the engagement survey and turnover rates can offer clues, tangible signs of mentality are found:

• Language: Are people using new vocabulary, preparing challenges differently, or describing their work with fresh energy?
• Decision: What options are being made to suit new values, even when it is difficult?
• Stories: Are success stories being shared? What stories are taking root in teams?
• Behavior under pressure: When things go wrong, does the old culture start again, or does it adopt a new mindset?

Culture change is a long game. You will not see the results overnight, but you will see them – if you are committed and curious.

Final Words: Culture Change Is Personal

Finally, culture change is not something you impose—it is something you invite people to. This requires humility, courage, and a desire to examine the mental model that carries us all.

For leaders, this means to shift first. The culture cascades from above, but it grows from the ground. Leaders should have a model of vulnerability, curiosity, and adaptability. They should walk on the matter – not only talk.

As a culture change advisor, Egremont Group does not bring magic formulas. They bring outlines, sympathy, and provocation. The goal is to help leaders and teams see their own patterns, transfer their stories, and create cultures that are not only more effective but also more human.

Because the real work of culture changes? This is the work of mentality.