In the last few years, insights from neuroscience have begun to answer that question.
New behaviors can be put in place, but only by reframing attitudes that are so entrenched that they are almost literally embedded in the physical pathways of employees’ neurons. These beliefs have been reinforced over the years through everyday routines and hundreds of workplace conversations. They all have the same underlying theme: “That’s the way we do things around here.”
This phrase (and others like it) typically refers to the complex, subtle practices that become ingrained in an organization’s culture, to the point where they become part of its identity. Habitual thoughts and behaviors are not bad in themselves; indeed, they are often the basis for what a company does well. But when circumstances shift or the company becomes dysfunctional, those habits may need substantive change.
Altering habits is difficult enough for individuals. Studies suggest that the number of people who voluntarily shift away from addictive or obsessive-compulsive behavior, even when they know their lives are at stake, is staggeringly low, perhaps one in 10. At corporations, the complexity of collective behavior makes the challenge even greater. Furthermore, as with repairing a ship while it is at sea, these changes must be made at the same time that the company continues to operate.
But there is a particular type of highly charged conversational process that leads to changes in the neural patterns of people throughout an organization — a process that works with, not against, the predisposition and capability of the human brain.
The Principles of Change
A viable approach is emerging today that applies neuroscience to organizational change at dozens of companies. Specific practices vary from one workplace to the next, but they are always based on principles grounded in brain research.
To unraveled the mystery of how our brains manage habit-formation and how those habits affect the way that corporate culture is shaped, go to the article at Booz & Co.'s Strategy + Business Magazine for the answer:
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/11109?gko=8928a