2025 Community of Human and Organizational Learning 31st Annual Conference

Why do so many transformation initiatives fail to achieve their intended results?
It’s not because we lack capable, dedicated people.
It’s not because we lack the skills, tools, or processes needed to execute.
The real challenge? Culture.
Change is disruptive and creates natural tensions. Culture shapes how change is received, and in turn, change reshapes culture. Without cultural awareness and the ability to manage this tension, even the best strategies struggle to gain traction.
So how can we engage leaders and peers more effectively to build a culture-aware, resilient organization?
In this interactive workshop, participants gain insights to:
- Shift from a check-the-box approach for change to a human-centered, culture-aware one.
- Identify cultural factors that enable or inhibit resilience.
- Manage tensions between cultural norms and change to reduce resistance and improve outcomes.
- Use role modeling to reinforce trust, safety, and engagement.
Join us to rethink transformation through the lens of culture and turn cultural awareness into a strategic advantage.

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Session Objectives:
1. Understand why transformation efforts often fail due to cultural blind spots.
Learn simple, research-backed models to assess and influence cultural tensions.
2. Apply cultural awareness to real-world change scenarios.
3. Explore the role of leadership behaviors in fostering resilience.
4. Develop actionable strategies to integrate cultural awareness into transformation efforts.

Session Flow & Activities:
1. Welcome & Framing (~10 min)
Connection activity to engage participants.
Share insights related to change, culture, and safety.
2. Culture & Change: Why It Matters (~25 min)
Concepts: Competing Values Framework, Schein’s Levels of Culture, SCARF model.
Activity: Identify cultural traits in participants’ organizations.
3. Role Modeling for Resilience (~25 min)
Activity: “Silent Signals” Exercise – How leadership behaviors shape culture.
Concepts: Self-Awareness, Accountability, Psychological Safety, Change Behaviors.
Activity: Self-reflection on individual change tendencies and influence.
4. Applying Culture & Self-Awareness for Resilience (~25 min)
Group Exercise: Assess cultural factors in a past or current change initiative.
Discussion: Table-talk on aligning change efforts with cultural norms.
5. Action Planning & Closing (~15 min)
Action Plan: Develop a next-step strategy to integrate insights into leadership or transformation efforts.
Sharing & Q&A: Open floor for key takeaways and reflections.