Cultural transformation begins when an organization recognizes its current culture is misaligned with its vision, mission, core values, and strategic objectives. This misalignment signals to the leadership that the culture has become a hindrance to achieving the strategic objectives of the organization. Cultural transformation takes place when the organization engages in a process to realign the culture to its vision, mission, and core values to achieve its strategic objectives. It is a form of organizational transformation.

There are also other definitions of cultural transformation:

“Cultural transformation is a shift that can take place throughout an entire organization or in individual departments and teams. It requires changing the hearts, minds, and skills of the workforce to support the desired culture. Individuals must first have the conviction (heart) to change their behavior. Then, they must understand what behavior change looks like (mind) and have the necessary tools (skills) to change.” 

According to Prophet, “it is about the accelerated changes made by companies that focus on growing their businesses from the inside out – empowering people and the way they work through a human-centered approach.”  

It has also been described by the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes as “an adaption of norms and behaviors, within the scope of the organization’s core values, to bring these into alignment with a new business strategy or direction.”

The culture can also transform unintentionally if left unattended because of the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA) of our current environment. When experiencing VUCA, organizations may be reactive and less strategic, leaving the culture of the organization vulnerable to unintentional change.

Therefore, leadership must spearhead cultural transformation, taking into account the organization’s external and internal environments, vision, mission, strategic objectives, and core values.

Sources:https://www.prophet.com/2020/05/how-to-drive-cultural-transformation-in-your-organization/https://www.cmc-global.org/content/cultural-transformation-%E2%80%93-art-and-science