HR Professionals Crave a System for Culture Change – Here’s What Works [podcast]
As heard on the Gut+Science podcast with Nikki Lewallen
If you’re an HR professional tasked with driving culture change in your organization, chances are you’ve felt overwhelmed, isolated, or stuck at times.
Perhaps you’ve launched programs with the best of intentions, only to watch them slowly fizzle out. Or you may have wondered, “How do I get executive buy-in?” more times than you can count. Maybe you’ve been labeled as “the people person,” but the strategic conversation keeps happening somewhere else.
You’re not alone. And it doesn’t have to stay this way.
Episode summary
Why Culture Change Efforts Often Fail
Culture-change efforts often flop for three main reasons:
- HR can’t do it alone. Without activation from leadership, even the best-intentioned initiatives will fall flat.
- We focus on buzzwords, not behaviors. Culture isn’t about slogans or posters. It’s about what people say and do every day.
- We underestimate the complexity. True culture transformation is not fast. It’s not linear. It takes time, alignment, and intention.
[Also see “Why Most Leadership Training Tends to Fail” below.]
The Reality: Culture Is the Bridge Between Strategy and Results
Every organization has goals – revenue targets, growth plans, strategic initiatives. Most even have a detailed playbook to achieve them. But what lies in between those Xs and Os is culture.
Culture is how work gets done. It’s the daily decisions, behaviors, and conversations that either accelerate or hinder progress. That’s why culture change isn’t a “nice to have”– it’s a strategic imperative.
Culture change isn’t a “nice to have”– it’s a strategic imperative.
Enter ATLAS, a Proven Framework for Sustainable Culture Change
At ADVISA, we’ve spent decades helping organizations build better, more aligned workplaces. Over time, we developed a framework that identifies five key drivers of culture transformation.
We call it ATLAS, and here’s how it breaks down:
- A – Activation from Above:
Culture change starts at the top. Executives must model, champion, and resource the transformation. If leadership isn’t bought in, progress will stall. - T – Trust and Shared Purpose:
Without a clear mission, vision, and values, culture has nothing to anchor to. Alignment on purpose builds trust, clarity, and motivation at every level. - L – Leader Effectiveness:
Leaders shape culture more than anyone, yet most leaders are under equipped. We must give leaders the tools and feedback they need to coach, communicate, and grow. - A – Actionable People Data:
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Data helps HR and executives see blind spots, spot gaps in alignment, and make informed decisions. (Pro tip: HR leaders should bring data, not just ideas.) - S – Systems that Support Leaders:
W. Edwards Deming said, “A bad system beats a good person every time.” If your tech, processes, and norms don’t support your desired culture, even great leaders will struggle.
Why Executive Buy-In Is Non-Negotiable
One of the most common questions we hear from HR leaders is: “How do I get my executive team to care about culture?”
The answer: Stop talking about culture as an HR initiative. Instead, talk about it as a business necessity.
When HR professionals frame culture change in terms of business outcomes – like accelerating strategy, improving retention, or increasing profitability – they get traction. At ADVISA, we often help HR teams translate their vision into language that resonates with decision-makers.
And when data enters the conversation? That’s the tipping point.
“How do I get my executive team to care about culture?” Stop talking about culture as an HR initiative. Instead, talk about it as a business necessity.
Data is the Great Culture Conversation Starter
Sometimes, the fastest path to executive alignment is showing them what they can’t see.
ADVISA’s proprietary Leadership + Culture Assessment® provides a clear “x-ray” of how leaders are showing up and how culture is experienced across levels. We’ve seen eyes widen and priorities shift in real time when executives finally see the gaps – between senior leaders and frontline managers, between stated values and actual behavior, between what’s intended and what’s experienced.
Data isn’t just insight, it’s influence.
When Culture Gets Sticky, Results Get Real
We’ve worked with organizations where culture was just a poster on the wall—and we’ve partnered with those that made it real. One of our clients, a home builder, comes to mind. Their mission, values, and expectations are so deeply embedded that even the boardroom is held accountable to them. It’s not about perfection—it’s about intentionality and courage.
Real culture change isn’t about feel-good slogans. It’s about aligning everything – leadership, behaviors, systems, policies, and communication – around a shared, strategic vision.
Wondering where to begin?
ADVISA offers a free, online 5-Minute Culture Check. In just a few minutes, you’ll see where your organization stands on the five drivers of the ATLAS Framework – and where to focus next.
👉 Take the 5-Minute Culture Check
RELATED RESOURCES
📗 Download the free “Why Most Leadership Training Tends to Fail” eBook
About Heather Haas
Heather Haas is the CEO of ADVISA, a leadership and culture consulting firm. A former educator turned executive advisor, she’s passionate about helping leaders go first, build trust, and activate cultures where people and businesses thrive.
ℹ️ Read more thought leadership from Heather Haas about leader and culture development.