Comment: This reminds us that culture is shaped in the everyday, not in programmes or plans. Attempts to impose change often overlook the subtle interactions where culture actually lives.A culture is emergent and is the result of millions of interactions, behaviours, artifacts and stories that people build up over time.
It is unpredictable and results in surprise.
The idea that a “culture change initiative” can be rolled out from the top of an organization is not only a myth, it’s a hidden form of colonization.
And worse, the idea that people need to be changed in the way the boss determines if we are to become the kind of place that we all aspire too is cruel and violent.
Credit: Chris Corrigan
Source: The myth of managed culture change
Posts where this quotation is embedded
- Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Colonialism: the dominance, control, and exploitation by one group over another
Tags: change (25) | Chris Corrigan (4) | colonialism (9) | complexity (101) | culture (24) | emergence (12) | social interaction (9)
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Conversational Leadership Workshop
In-person, 7–11 September 2026
Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
In-person, 7–11 September 2026
Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. This week-long workshop offers a space to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience.
This quotation is part of a blook on Conversational Leadership. It is one of many quotations that have influenced my thinking on the subject. Parts of this blook have restricted access. You may browse the pages open to you, but you will need to register and be approved before you can login and access the full site. When you register, you may also sign-up to receive a quotation of the day by email.