Cracking organisational culture

GGi consultant Sophia Adesoye outlines some of the pitfalls in permeating culture, communication and learning in an organisation

Organisational culture is one of the toughest nuts to crack in governance. First, it isn’t tangible – it is not simply a box to tick or a new structure to implement. Second, it takes time to embed – cultural shifts never happen immediately. Third, culture exists in pockets throughout the organisation—some aligned, others resistant to change. If an organisation finds itself in a position where it must entirely uproot a toxic and negative culture, it must do so carefully. Just as removing a weed requires finding its root to prevent regrowth, addressing poor culture means identifying its source. Which brings us to the fourth reason: changing culture often involves difficult decisions, especially when the issues stem from individuals or groups rather than systems or processes.

So, there are many reasons why organisational culture is difficult to change, but this article focuses on a particular challenge: the uneven spread of culture across different levels of an organisation.

Even when boards lead with strong intent and clear messaging, cultural transformation can stall, either hitting a glass floor, where the change fails to reach frontline staff, or a glass ceiling, where complacency at the top prevents further growth. These invisible barriers can fracture an organisation’s cultural cohesion, creating disconnects between what leadership believes is – or should be – happening and what staff actually experience.

When a board recognises the need for cultural change to uphold good governance and safeguard staff and service users, it must lead by example. This ‘show and tell’ begins with the board modelling the desired culture (show) and clearly communicating it throughout the organisation (tell).

The board must alter its expectation of senior management to reflect this culture, and senior management would consequently change its culture in order to meet the expectations of the board. Likewise, senior management would change its expectations of middle managers, who would then change their culture to meet these expectations. And so on and so forth until staff at all levels of the organisation have truly embodied the change initiated by the board.

Of course, this is easier said than done. In command-and-control environments, leadership may feel comfortable issuing directives and expecting compliance. But culture is far more nuanced than simple instruction. Depending on the size of the organisation and the type of structure it has, the new culture may have many levels to permeate. And we have often come across organisations in which a new culture successfully permeates downwards only to stall at a certain level.

The glass floor

This phenomenon is what we call the glass floor. The board, driven by good intentions, sets out to improve organisational culture. They introduce new mechanisms refresh the vision, values, strategies, and processes, and approach the change with enthusiasm. And it works—up to a point.

The new culture flows downward and continues to flow until it hits an invisible barrier. Suddenly the narrative from leadership diverges from the reality experienced by frontline staff. The board, senior management and sometimes middle management describe a fantastic and open culture with free-flowing communication and shared learning everywhere you look. But on the flip side, the staff describe a world of fear, silence and disengagement.

If frontline staff don’t speak up, then middle managers don’t realise anything is wrong, senior managers therefore don’t receive any concerns, and so the board hears that everything is fine. But from an outsider’s point of view, it feels as though you are looking at two different organisations. Identifying where the glass floor lies is difficult, but essential. The board must actively seek it out and break through it to create a truly unified culture.

There’s a concept GGi chief executive Andrew Corbett-Nolan often shares in board development sessions. Rather than focusing solely on the reds, boards should pay attention to the greens. The idea is simple: if you look away the minute an amber goes green, you risk missing its regression back to amber, and eventually red. In cultural terms, boards must ensure they truly understand what’s happening on the shop floor. While assurance through senior management is important, boards must also engage directly with staff to verify that those greens really are green.

The glass ceiling

In our work reviewing and supporting the governance and leadership of public purpose organisations,we also find situations where the board becomes so complacent with the existing culture, that it no longer strives for improvement. Phrases like ‘leave well enough alone’ or ‘you don’t want to stir the pot’, or even ‘this is how we’ve always done things’ reflect this mindset. But why settle for good when great is possible?

Sometimes this attitude stems from legacy,new leadership teams may hesitate to disrupt what seems to be working, or long-standing boards may resist change altogether. But improvement is a never-ending journey and any organisation is in danger the moment it decides that it no longer needs to improve.

While too much change too frequently can be destabilising, a greater risk lies in stagnation. Breaking the glass ceiling is not just about ambition, it’s about responsibility. Boards must commit to a culture of learning, listening, and evolving, ensuring that improvement is not a one-time initiative but a sustained organisational ethos.

Organisational culture is not a static asset, it is a living, evolving force that must be nurtured, monitored, and challenged. Boards play a pivotal role in shaping this culture, but their influence must extend beyond vision statements and strategic plans.

To truly embed cultural change, boards must ensure that their intentions permeate every layer of the organisation, breaking through the glass floor that separates leadership from frontline reality. Equally, they must resist the comfort of the glass ceiling, where complacency halts progress and improvement is mistaken for disruption.

A cohesive culture is one where communication flows freely, learning is shared openly, and staff at all levels feel empowered to speak and be heard. This requires vigilance, humility, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Governance is not just about oversight, it’s about insight too. And insight begins with listening, engaging, and leading with purpose.