News analyses of mergers and of recently appointed CEOs often comment on the cultural fit between the merging companies and between the new chief executive and other corporate leaders. Success calls for a close alignment of values. As an element of corporate culture, they may be harder to change than processes and policies, but a concerted change-management program can help. The exhibit shows how one company took a key value—leadership development—that had been below the radar for most managers and turned it into the company's second most deeply felt value in only 18 months. To achieve this goal, the company sponsored a series of off-site workshops, beginning with senior management and working down through the ranks. Despite the skepticism of critics, the company's success in elevating the leadership issue suggests that the workshops were effective. Facilitators focused on personal development, encouraging managers to reflect on their own experience of being mentored or of mentoring others. This effort tapped into these managers' deep personal values—such as the desire to improve and to leave a positive legacy among peers—which supported the goal of developing better leaders.
For more on the attitudes and behavior of employees, read "The psychology of change management." (Premium)
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