Conversation Creates Culture
Introduction
Conversation is not just communication inside organisations; it is the mechanism by which culture is continually created, reinforced and changed.
Organisational culture is often described as: “The shared meanings, assumptions and everyday behaviours of people in an organisation.”
Conversation is how those shared meanings are formed and maintained.
NB Conversation results in Shared Stories, results in Shared Beliefs, results in Shared Behaviours and Culture.
Put simply:
What people talk about becomes what people think matters. This shapes how people behave, which creates culture.
Consequently, if people frequently talk about:
- innovation (culture becomes innovative)
- customer experience (culture becomes customer-centric)
- risk and compliance (culture becomes cautious and controlled)
- blame and politics (culture becomes fearful defensive)
Culture is the dominant and persistent conversation inside the organisation.
Some Ways Conversation Shapes Culture
| Mechanism | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sense-making | We talk to understand change and assign meaning | “Why are we changing?” |
| 2. Norm-setting | Conversation signals what behaviours are acceptable | “That’s not how we do things here” |
| 3. Identity-building | Conversation shapes who “we” are as a group | “This is what we stand for” |
NB Culture shifts one conversation at a time.
Application to Change Management
Change succeeds when the conversation shifts from ‘old’ to ‘new’:
| Old Conversation | New Change Conversation |
|---|---|
| 1. “This is how we’ve always done it” | “How can we do this better?” |
| 2. “Change is a threat” | “Change is progress and opportunity” |
| 3. “Management decides everything” | “We all shape the future” |
| 4. “Don’t rock the boat” | “Experiment, learn, improve” |
NB If the old conversation continues, the old culture wins, regardless of strategy.
Change Management as Conversational Redesign
Effective change management ensures:
- Leaders model the new conversation
- Employees are invited into dialogue, not just told what will change
- Stories of success and early wins are circulated widely
- Continuous feedback conversations maintain progress
Conversation is the bridge between strategy and culture.
Strategy states the change, while conversation makes it real in everyday behaviour.
Some Conversation Prompts
| Strategy | Example Conversation Prompt |
|---|---|
| 1. Re-frame negative narratives | “What opportunities does this change create?” |
| 2. Build future focus | “What will success look like for your role in 6 months?” |
| 3. Amplify strengths | “Which strength can you apply more during this change?” |
| 4. Create ownership | “What part of this transformation can you influence today?” |
| 5. Normalize learning | “What did we learn this week that we can build on?” |
NB Frequent, strengths-based and forward-focused conversations build a change-ready culture.
Summary
Conversation is culture in action, ie the living expression of what an organisation values, believes and rewards.
In change management, shifting the culture requires shifting the conversation; this needs to be done early, consistently, and authentically.
(main source: Lachlan Brown, 2025a)