How to drive culture change when your boss doesn’t want to

Summary

Not every senior leader is prepared to prioritise culture, even though most executives link it directly to business results. Ella Overshott explains the three common reasons bosses resist culture work — it feels intangible, they don’t know how to change it, or they simply don’t care — and sets out practical routes you can take when you meet resistance.

The article recommends three approaches: build a business case in your boss’s language using your organisation’s data; make change manageable with one clear shift and quick wins; or bypass senior indifference by changing the culture in your own team and collaborating with peers. Real-world examples and further resources are provided to help you act quickly and effectively.

Key Points

Culture is strategic: a 2023 survey of 500 CEOs found 98% link culture to improved bottom-line performance.
Three reasons bosses resist culture work: it’s seen as intangible, they don’t know how to change it, or they don’t care.
Route 1 — Convince them: frame the case in the metrics your boss cares about (costs, pace, retention) and use your own data.
Route 2 — Make it easy: pick one cultural shift, apply the cultural enablers (awareness, involvement, performance, embedding) and promote quick wins.
Route 3 — Go around them: if senior leaders won’t act, focus on your team, give constructive feedback where possible, and partner with like-minded peers.
Examples and resources (LEGO turnaround, Wurzak Hotel Group, 100-day roadmap) offer practical, tested steps for rapid and sustainable change.

Why should I read this?

Short version: if your boss shrugs when you talk about culture, this article is your no-nonsense playbook. It tells you how to stop preaching and start doing — whether that means translating culture into the boss’s KPIs, chopping the work into bite-sized wins, or simply fixing things where you can. Clear, practical and quick to action.

Context and relevance

Organisational culture is increasingly treated as a delivery mechanism for strategy rather than a ‘nice to have’. The piece ties into broader trends where leaders are expected to link people and performance: culture interventions now sit alongside product, operational and financial initiatives. For HR and people leaders, the article offers pragmatic tactics to convert research and rhetoric into measurable activity, helping reduce churn, speed delivery and lower hiring costs when done well.