Dave Snowden - How leaders change culture through small actions

How to Change Culture Through Small Actions

Dave Snowden shares insights on how leaders can change culture through small actions. Here's a step-by-step guide inspired by his talk:

1. Understand Your Background:

   • Dave shares his background of growing up in North Wales and his experiences in different fields like research and counterterrorism.

2. Focus on the Present:

   • Dave emphasizes the importance of managing the present to create a new direction of travel rather than focusing solely on future expectations.

3. Embrace Complexity Theory:

   • Learn about complexity theory where the focus is on describing the present and creating a direction of travel instead of defining an ideal future state.

4. Avoid Industrial Best Practices:

   • Dave warns against blindly following industrial best practices without considering the context and impact on innovation.

5. Utilize Sensemaking Techniques:

   • Use sensemaking techniques to collect real-time feedback and observations to understand the current state of affairs and make informed decisions.

6. Empower Citizens:

   • Transfer the power of interpretation to citizens, patients, and employees to understand their day-to-day narratives and perspectives.

7. Focus on Evidence-Based Policy:

   • Prioritize evidence that is valid and actionable to drive policy decisions rather than relying solely on predetermined outcomes.

8. Shift from Outcome Targets to Vector Targets:

   • Move from outcome-based targets to vector targets that measure the direction and speed of travel, allowing for more adaptive and sustainable practices.

9. Change the Narrative:

   • Encourage individuals and communities to change their narratives about the past and future to create a more positive and sustainable story.

10. Implement Fractal Engagement:

    • Embrace fractal engagement with reality to allow locally contextual solutions to emerge within a governance framework.

By following these steps, you can implement small actions that lead to significant cultural changes within organizations and communities.