To Change Company Culture, Focus on Systems-Not Communication.

The article focuses on how company culture is effectively changed through systemic leadership behaviors rather than communication campaigns. Based on a cross-national study of 164 senior leaders across sectors, it finds that culture shifts when leaders model desired behaviors, alter decision-making power, and take personal risks aligned with stated values, rather than relying on messaging, perks, or symbolic initiatives. The research highlights that employees judge culture by consistent leadership actions, especially when these actions involve real costs or changes in power dynamics, and that middle managers struggle to enact culture without executive modeling. Ultimately, sustainable cultural change requires leaders to embody values through structural changes that build trust and psychological safety, rather than treating culture as a branding or communication project.