Individual employee engagement. Individual employee actions are the ultimate test
for whether the desired culture “takes” in the postcombination organization. The
HR group in the professional services firm used advanced training tactics to
accelerate the process of acculturation at the working level. One program provided
frontline employees with opportunities to discuss and role-play behaviors consistent
with the desired postcombination culture. A member of the senior team kicked
off the sessions with a frank recount of why and how the company’s shared values
were selected. To model the value of “open communications,” the executive
described the debate and controversy that consumed the senior team as they
wrestled with options. Then, in experiential exercises, employees participated
in simulated business situations—they were assigned a business circumstance
and asked to act out how to handle it in line with a particular shared value. This
brought the values to life, raised awareness of the intentions underlying the
words, offered opportunities to practice new behaviors, and provided individuals
with feedback on the degree to which they understood what was being expected
of them in the postcombination organization.