Does Changing the Motivational Mindset of Teams and Individuals Influence Cultural Change?

The discussion focuses on ideas to change the mindset of teams we lead and individuals we mentor. Peter Drucker said that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” when organizations talk about making changes. It is the people who carry out the vision or strategy who determine its success. Knowing that, how can we effectively change the mindset of those doing the work? Over the last 10 years of my career, I have spent time reading, practicing, and reaching out to other IT leaders about mindset. A person’s mindset is as unique as their fingerprints. The same is true of groups. Mindsets are beliefs, self-perceptions, and outlooks held by people and the teams they make up. Organizational culture defines itself in almost the same way. The big difference is that it comes from the top down as a collection of beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions. When I think about culture, the picture I get is Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof) singing “Tradition!” The pandemic taught us that we had to rethink old IT solutions. The future is remote workers signing and securely storing contracts digitally, and instructors delivering classroom content asynchronously and synchronously to students. These changes, among others, challenge the organizational culture. Changing the mindset of the IT suppliers and consumers stops culture from eating these new strategies for breakfast.