Culture, complexity and the hidden forces that drive change

Culture, complexity and hidden forces that drive change

Culture is often talked about as the key to organisational success—but too often, attempts to shift culture stay on the surface. Quick fixes and behavioural toolkits rarely stick. That’s because culture is complex: it is an evolving system of relationships, beliefs, patterns, and histories. If we want to create meaningful, lasting change, we need to understand and work with this complexity, not oversimplify it.

In this interactive 60-minute session—followed by an optional 30-minute extended discussion—we’ll share insights from practice and research, and open up a conversation with fellow leaders on how to approach cultural transformation in more systemic, human ways.

Together, we’ll explore three key traps that commonly derail culture change—and how to avoid them:

👉 The temptation to simplify: Why quick wins and surface-level interventions often backfire, and how zooming out to see the whole system can help you focus on the few shifts that will unlock change.

👉 The illusion of control: Why culture can’t be mandated from the top, and why paying attention to the real, lived experience of your people—and the culture they are co-creating in the moment—is vital for authentic change.

👉 Ignoring the individual: How culture is shaped by the beliefs, experiences, and histories of individuals nested within teams, organisations, and wider systems—and why working with these deeper layers is key to sustaining new behaviours.

Expect a rich mix of insight and dialogue. We’ll offer perspective from our own work in systemic leadership and cultural change—and create space for participants to share experiences, questions and reflections.

This won’t be a one-way webinar. It’s a conversation—for those who want to go beyond frameworks and slogans, and get to the source of how culture really shifts.