Strengthening Cultures
Wending Culture Change helps managers and HR professionals gain a firm grip on organisational culture – particularly where it becomes complex and sensitive. We make visible what often remains unseen: behavioural patterns, informal norms and dynamics that shape performance, safety and integrity.
We support organisations in tackling persistent challenges such as unsafe working cultures, integrity breaches, bullying and sexual misconduct. We also help prevent criminal infiltration and strengthen safety cultures in high-risk sectors. These are not isolated incidents, but issues that are often deeply embedded in the culture itself.
Our approach is practical and transferable. We do not simply deliver solutions; we ensure that managers and HR professionals are equipped to diagnose cultural issues, select targeted interventions and embed change in a sustainable way. In this way, culture change becomes not a one-off initiative, but a structural part of how the organisation operates.
We work across three levels: teams, the organisation as a whole, and collaboration with external partners. It is precisely in this interplay that the greatest risks often arise – and where the most effective levers for change can be found.
At the same time, we are investing in the future of the field. Wending Culture Change is evolving into an AI-supported advisory practice, where data analysis and human expertise come together. This enables us to identify patterns more quickly, diagnose with greater precision and scale our approach – including for organisations operating in complex, international environments.
We are experts in the field of Culture Change
Research and culture change projects have resulted in several scientific and professional publications. Main topics are Criminal Infiltration, Organisational Integrity and creating a Safety Culture. Dysfunctional behaviours in these areas can make the organisation ineffective.
Understanding Culture Change
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Elements of Culture: Behaviour, Mindset, Arena
An organisation develops behavioural responses to the problems it encounters. The success of that 'Behaviour' translates into beliefs about how the world works. The collection of these beliefs is what we call a 'Mindset'.
This Mindset and Behaviour are reinforced by individuals and groups who occupy influential formal and informal positions within the organisation (the 'Arena').
Through the repeated interaction of Behaviour, Mindset and Arena, a culture becomes embedded within the organisation. Culture is the distinctive way of acting, thinking and relating internally that characterises the organisation. -
What does Culture Change mean?
The day-to-day interaction between Behaviour, Mindset and the Arena creates a strong coherence that provides those involved with a sense of recognisability and certainty.
It results in a status quo that sustains itself. By holding on to the old ways and failing to address problems within the organisation, a dysfunctional culture may emerge that no longer effectively serves the organisation’s objectives.
Culture Change means breaking through the existing status quo and renewing Behaviour, Mindset and the Arena. -
What is the pathway for Culture Change?
Delivering culture change is complex, but at its core the process follows a consistent pattern. The journey typically unfolds in four phases.
1. Undesirable patterns of behaviour emerge, yet it remains unclear why they persist. This prompts further inquiry, leading to a clearer understanding of how these behaviours are embedded in the current culture. Senior leadership then decides to initiate a culture change, freeing up the people and resources needed.
2. A change coalition is formed, and teams are given the space to experiment with new ways of working, different mindsets and alternative relationships. Within these smaller settings, a new subculture begins to take shape.
3. The new subculture is gradually scaled across the organisation as a whole. This marks a decisive break from the existing status quo and can give rise to tensions.
4. Barriers that hinder progress are removed, and the new culture is embedded, eventually forming a renewed and stable status quo. -
Often used interventions for Culture Change
An effective change strategy involves a mix of interventions that target each of the three cultural elements.
Mindset Change can arise through the use of 'Reframing'. The reality as it is currently experienced within the organisation is cast in a different light and reconsidered in new terms.
Arena Change is often set in motion through 'Arena Shifting'. This can for instance be achieved by reducing the influence of informal leaders and informal groups in favour of formal leadership.
Behavioural Change is realised through 'Reinforcement'. This occurs when influential leaders acknowledge and appreciate desired behaviour as promptly as possible. As a result, the desired behaviour will occur more frequently.
These interventions strengthen one another and contribute to achieving the desired culture.
Training
Principles of Culture Change
In a series of workshops, we discuss what culture change entails, how to formulate a target culture, what the change pathway looks like, which interventions are effective, and how to set up a project organisation capable of providing direction.
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A powerful collaboration
To help high-risk industries develop the highest levels of safety culture, we have formed a partnership with two other consulting firms.
