Shifting to a Learning Together Culture 

5 Min. Read

Mining

Client Context

Our client operates in over 30 countries and is one of the largest diversified mining companies in the world. The organization has a “unique,” strong and remarkable culture, consolidated in its more than 70 years of history.

Why was the change so important? Our client operates in a traditional sector that has been undergoing a profound transformation as ESG policies advance all over the world.

In this new context, the business strategy required a shift from a conservative and hierarchical culture that operates in silos to a culture of learning, togetherness and humility.

We’ve been supporting our client to achieve “Learning Together” as part of their culture journey for 3 years. The results have demonstrated the success of the journey so far and have inspired the company to keep going forward, knowing that culture is something that has to be managed everyday.

Case Study

Over the course of 3 years, we have been deeply immersed working with this client. We have helped transform their culture not only through workshops, offsites, training and frequent interaction but also through deep personal and team experiences in the new culture that have accelerated culture transformation.

Step 1:
A culture diagnosis was key for the company becoming aware of its cultural strengths and barriers and to build a robust Culture Plan 

• The deep dive diagnostic helped the company to realize the root causes of their current culture and to understand the key mindsets, behaviors, symbols to be changed to achieve the Learning Together culture.
• Support was provided to the ExCom to reflect and build on individual and collective focus areas to accelerate the culture journey
• A robust cultural transformation roadmap was created to map the 3-year transformation plan.

Step 2:
Develop leaders and systems to transform the culture: 
Several interventions were made, at the same time, in different layers of the organization to promote a sustainable change:

• Senior leaders embarked on a journey of personal and team change to become examples of the desired culture. Individual culture assessment and culture advisory sessions provided personal development, but the mindset change required to achieve the cultural goal involved developing a growth mindset, together. 
• To achieve this we brought to the surface the functional and dysfunctional aspects of the top team through the Lencioni Team Survey. This promoted a deep reflection on how the team operated and how this could impact the achievement of the company’s strategy. The senior leadership team began a learning journey based on developing trust among team members as the base to build not only collective results but collective results, together.
• While the team evolved in their One Team behaviors, we created a journey where they could build and experience the desired culture together as they progressed. We interacted with the team members, while they put in practice what they had learned, by observing meetings and giving deep feedback to the team.

Step 3: 

Bringing all the leadership on the journey

• Multiple leadership teams went through a Cultural Activation Program where they reframed beliefs, lived the new culture through immersion experiments and received the necessary tools to transform the culture.
• 35 HR leaders were certified in our Advanced Culture Change Program and were prepared to identify countercultural messages in behaviors, symbols and systems and act as active change agents. They were equipped with a library of a comprehensive methodology for culture change across the organization.
• Development of close to 100 Culture Catalysts equipped with tools and a clear “from-to” map to guide them in their role to be an example of the desired culture and to support leaders in the journey.

Step 4:

While the Senior Leadership Team evolved via the leadership by example program, a process of immersion in the new culture was created, so that practical learning could consolidate the desired changes:

• The deep dive diagnostic helped the company to realize the root causes of their current culture and to understand that business unit leaders and teams were fundamental to achieve change.
• A site-based immersion program was designed and implemented,  building a transformation plan for each Site together in conjunction with matrix areas and business partners.
• This integrated planning strongly reinforced the goal of learning together.
   

Outcomes:

• The organization has improved in 100% of new cultural elements, the most significant advance was in “responsibility for the whole” and safety, which were priority focus areas for the first two years.
• Key stakeholders have been recognized for their change in decisions, behaviors and results. There is now no speech of the CEO that do not include priority in the culture change and its connection with the achievement of the strategy.
• There has been a significant shift from a knower to a learner mindset in the field. 
• Performance management, organizational structure and budgeting systems are now more aligned with the desired culture, which has become a benchmark for other companies. 
• People are now rewarded for building ideas together and facing failure as an opportunity to learn
• Our client has had a remarkable evolution as an employer, rising from 8th place in 2021 to 2nd place in the ranking of the most desired companies to work for in 2023. The share price is now 25% higher than it was at the time we commenced our project. 
   

“I think that today there is a much greater spirit of collaboration and I think that people are having this psychological security to contribute and collaborate. This has evolved a lot.”

“We had personal individual goals, each person had its own goal, and that, yes, created silos, etc. Afterwards, we managed to evolve towards daily goals, so we have already evolved a lot, and then, we increased the collective weight and decreased the individual weight.”