We’re surrounded by social movements that make an impact on society, but how can we replicate this energy in organisations? Dr Leandro Herrero argues that leaders need to throw out traditional management practices and embrace new tools.
How do you create a social movement within an organisation? Perhaps a good start is to look at – well, social movements.
You may not think of this as standard management practice. But I believe the answers to better management – innovative management – work best when they emerge from areas distant from management science. If the old toolkits are no longer sufficient, then where are the new ones? They need to be reinvented.
Organisational culture
How we shape and transform workplace culture is essentially the development and management of an internal social movement. Yes, just like in sociology, anthropology, political science, and political marketing, but seldom seen in MBA curricula.
If you want to influence change, you must think outside the bounds of corporate orthodoxy. But how can HR teams and managers achieve this in their organisations? Here’s my cheat sheet.
(Re)frame the narrative
Organisations often fall into the trap of pushing a singular, one-size-fits-all narrative that attempts to speak to everyone but resonates with few. It’s crucial to recognise that people are driven by different motivations.
If you want your culture to shape itself naturally, offer different frames to different groups. Avoid clinging to just one overarching story. An organisation isn’t a monolith, and the same story won’t energise every person or department.
Allow for nuance, and your culture will feel more authentic. The company can be a host for all motivations, understanding that unconditional ‘alignment’ is a red herring. The goal is to have compatible “dreams”.
Accept diversity, but define non-negotiables
Diverse motivations lead to diverse perspectives. Accept that different groups within your organisation will see and experience things differently. However, within this complexity, there must be an anchor: non-negotiable behaviours that everyone can agree on.
These form the glue that binds the movement together. It’s fine to have varied approaches, but some core behaviours need to be consistent. If this glue isn’t strong enough, your culture risks unravelling. Identifying and maintaining those universal, non-negotiable elements is vital.
Know your tribes
In any social movement, tribalism emerges naturally, and organisations are no different. Peer-to-peer influence is the bedrock of organisational culture. Forget traditional hierarchies for a moment.
Tribes – small, self-organising, peer-driven groups – are where the real influence lies. If you don’t know who your tribes are or how they interact, you’re missing the point. Knowing your tribes gives you insight into where real change happens. Your organisation isn’t just structured around departments or divisions; it’s made up of these informal but powerful social groups.
Clarify expectations
A social movement is about action. Define what’s expected and get those expectations out in the open. Activism means action. “Clicktivism” is mere surface-level engagement. Donating is different from endorsing.
Corporations are notorious for blurring these lines. Don’t pretend that passive engagement equals activism. If your movement requires real action, clicking “like” on a company post isn’t enough. Call it out. Clarity of purpose makes a movement stronger. Not everyone is going to be an active participant, and that’s fine. Just make sure you know who your true advocates are.
Engage the hyper-connected
Influence is not evenly distributed. If you want your cultural movement to spread, find the nodes of high connectivity; the hyper-connected people within your organisation. These are the individuals who, through their relationships and networks, can spread behaviours and values more rapidly than anyone else.
We routinely perform a social network analysis to truly understand who’s who. Passion is important, but passion without influence is wasted energy. We often find that a group of highly connected, if less overtly passionate, people can drive change far more effectively than a collection of disconnected enthusiasts. Hyper-connectivity is key.
Embrace the grassroots
Grassroots movements drive lasting cultural change. But here’s the catch: many organisations don’t understand grassroots dynamics. They confuse it with a corporate version of ‘engagement’ or think it’s just about getting feedback from lower levels. Grassroots efforts are about empowering self-organising groups to act independently.
In any social movement, tribalism emerges naturally, and organisations are no different.”
If you don’t grasp the power of grassroots movements, you’ll remain trapped in top-down change initiatives that seldom lead to real transformation. Grassroots isn’t a metaphor – it’s a strategy. Many people would say, OK, that’s our bottom-up approach, but in some organisations this can feel the same as a top-down strategy, just with a change of geography.
Master ‘Backstage Leadership’
The most effective leadership in cultural movements isn’t the one you see upfront. It’s what we have trademarked Backstage Leadership.
These leaders don’t command from the front with flashy presentations; instead, they work behind the scenes, empowering those who can multiply and amplify the movement.
These backstage leaders are often invisible but are masters at facilitating, connecting, and nurturing the hyper-connected and grassroots. In many ways, their impact is more profound than those in traditional leadership roles.
Use unconventional indicators
Tracking progress in a cultural movement is crucial, but don’t fall into the trap of traditional KPIs. First, ask yourself: What exactly do you want to measure? What do you want to see?
This is far more important than simply measuring what is easy or standard. Culture is subtle, and standard metrics often miss the nuances of its evolution. Get creative with your indicators. You want to track influence, behavioural changes, and energy levels, not just outputs or numbers on a spreadsheet.
Storytelling is your glue
A great storytelling system is the thread that connects the grassroots with leadership. It works from both ends: top-down from formal leaders who can set the tone and bottom-up from the tribes and grassroots that shape the lived experience.
A good storytelling system allows these perspectives to meet in the middle and form a cohesive narrative. And here’s a tip: make sure the person overseeing storytelling is well-compensated. They are more important than you think, and in many cases, they are the cultural architect behind the scenes.
Revisit and refine
The last step is deceptively simple: go back to number one and start again. Culture shaping is not a one-time event but a continuous process. As the organisation evolves, so must the movement. Revisiting, refining, and reframing are all part of the journey. Be prepared to repeat the cycle, with each iteration bringing your organisation closer to the desired culture.
Over the past 25 years, we’ve approached cultural change through this lens, viewing it as the creation and nurturing of an internal social movement. Our experience has shown that when culture is shaped through these principles, it leads to sustainable, large-scale change.
This isn’t just a theory – it’s a practice that has quietly transformed organisations across industries, demonstrating that real, lasting change comes from within.
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