| | AUGUST 2024MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM19CXO InsightsBy Diego Marin, Human Resources Director, GEORGALOSHOW EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS BENEFIT CULTURAL CHANGEVery early in my career, I was transferred to another large city in my country by the corporation where I worked.I arrived at the food plant with my first position as Head of Human Resources, with all the doubts and few of the certainties, but with the solid endorsement of my boss. The challenge was brief in description, but immense in scope: to lead the cultural change of a recently acquired production unit. Fortunately or not, I was not the only newcomer in the equation, the entire plant was "new" to the company and with it, every member of the leadership and employee staff was "new", so we shared uncertainties.I remember applying a teaching from an old boss that kept repeating in my ears, "The first thing you should do in a new position, is do nothing" ...effectively complemented by "...at the very least, don't make rash decisions..." And then he would add, "...dedicate yourself to know, to learn, to understand how things are and find out who is who...". Wise words, which must be put into practice!The plant presented several problems from the human point of view: - An old leadership style, or perhaps a traditional one, with a strong paternalistic style, had led the original company to success, and as we know, it is difficult to change something that has been successful in the recent past. - A logical distrust of the former employees in the new corporation that had just acquired "THEIR" company.- A general feeling of nostalgia confronted with the dismay of being "abandoned" by their former employer.- Noticeable imbalances of internal equity in terms of compensation, benefits, but also privileges difficult to understand (In the offices we found three bathrooms: Ladies, Gentlemen and Bosses...!).- A system of rewards and punishments that is difficult to understand due to the application of criteria that are not very fair?- Strong incompatibilities of values and beliefs with the new corporation.- Union leaders disoriented in the face of the new management of the company.- In short, an inevitable clash of cultures of proportions that could jeopardize operational continuity.The diagnosis was not encouraging, but we drew up a plan.First of all, we applied the "do nothing" logic, at least nothing relevant, and we observed, listened, learned, "got into" the reality of the plant to understand. At the same time, we applied small doses of corporate culture, showing the way, with a perspective focused on the logic of the proposal, avoiding a "colonizing" imposition. Victor Hugo knew how to say: "Better to convince than to win" and we followed his advice. We sought to associate all the collaborators around an idea with a clear purpose and that they would adopt it out of their own conviction, when faced with something solid and logical.These small gestures translated into "quick wins" and generated credibility, Diego Marin
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