As soon as you see the title, I could guess what some of you are mumbling to yourself, that it is easier said than done. Of course it is! Accepting the enormity of the task and the challenges it brings gives one the right perspective. I hear you already! The good thing is, we can always start somewhere. Reaching the destination always start with the first step. How will management change the culture of the organization to transition its employees from disengaged to motivated anyway? Once more, to know where we are going, we need to know where we are. Benchmark information in terms of key performance indicators have to be identified to appreciate what needs to change and afterwards, to assess the result of the change. Rufran C. Frago, P.Eng, PMP®, CCP, PMI-RMP®

1. Changing the Culture
of Your Organization
By RUFRAN C. FRAGO, P. Eng., PMP®, CCP, PMI-RMP®
As soon as you see the title, I could guess what some of you are mumbling to
yourself, that it is easier said than done. Of course it is! Accepting the enormity of
the task and the challenges it brings gives one the right perspective. I hear you
already! The good thing is, we can always start somewhere. Reaching the
destination always start with the first step.
How will management change the culture of the organization to transition its
employees from disengaged to motivated anyway?
Once more, to know where we are going, we need to know where we are.
Benchmark information in terms of key performance indicators have to be
identified to appreciate what needs to change and afterwards, to assess the result of
the change.

2. The actual challenge is effectively carrying out the intended change. Companies
should not change anything just for the sake of change. If a company wants an
organizational change like a real culture change, it must be because it wants to
strengthen the organization and make them operationally excellent, efficient, and
competitive. Of course, if one thinks deeply about it, intention is relative. The first
and foremost reason for making organizational change is for the business to
preserve and fortify its own interest. All the other benefits that come with a
successful change enjoyed by others are bonuses and windfalls.
If this is the case, why do many people within the same organization resist change?
This is because the individual interest runs against the grain of the organization's
interest. Employee’s reactions to change made in the past are enumerated in various
forums, published across the globe. However, we should not stop there, but look at
the whole universe of change. This is the best way to appreciate the systems and
sub-systems in which it operates. If we are to formulate some ideas, we need to go
higher. Only if we understand that can we come up with a viable solution.
The risks involved in any change process circle around the objectives, goals, and
vision of the organization, measured against the critical success factors agreed to by
those who drive the change. One thing is crystal-clear in this situation. Without an
objective, there is no risk. Since risk is defined as the effect of uncertainty on
objectives (ISO 31000, 2009), and change brings uncertainty, we conclude that
without change, there is no risk. People resist change because of the kind of risk
associated with it. If it is a good change (opportunity), they vote yes! If the change
brings threat, they vote no! As such, management has to identify the risks of change
and manage them using a risk register.
Is there risk without an objective? This is a question embodying an entire
constellation of how risk understood. Numerous stories end up entirely depart from
expectations, influenced by what seems to be unseen, sensitive dependency to
preceding events along the logical chains, even on what appears to be non-related
situation (the Butterfly Effect). Simple things are cumulative if not addressed early
on, bound to lead to complications.
Let us now visualize the logic of motivation and engagement in the highly diversified
workplace of any business enterprise. When imagining the schematics, we see
relationship lines crisscrossing the workplace (Figure 1). I call them relationship
power lines, or influence lines. The arrow tail indicates the power source and the tip
indicates the direction where power eventually resides. The greater the number of
influence lines going to a person, the greater that person’s power is, and vice versa.
It shows the dependency of one person on what the other person has. Just like
electrical current, the flow of change courses through the path of least resistance.
Managers, therefore, have to find that path of least resistance or, if possible, create

3. one with no resistance. As I explained to some of my peers, “…without relationship
lines, influencing another is impossible.”
Figure 1 – Relationship Lines are Power Lines
The company should start a program that will increase the appreciation of
“relationship-building” between employees in the workplace, focusing on managing
cultural diversity. The end goal is to thicken and increase the relationship lines,
making the entire organization highly engaged.
Corporate management has to inculcate a culture of patience and acceptance for all
employees. In order for everyone to feel comfortable in communicating, everyone in
the organization must try to be patient and appreciative, to participate and enjoy
themselves. Wear your smile on your sleeve. Smile is the kind of facial/body
language that can conquer the heart of nations, for leaders to lead millions, proven
by the magnificent history of countries all over the world.

4. Many of the observations shared in this post were from experiences gleaned while I
worked in North Africa for more than seven years. It was a large oil field installation
located in the middle of the Sahara desert. I rubbed shoulders with a big, diversified
workforce. Various cultural groups worked in that oil field facilities. We have
workers from Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, UK, USA, Philippines, Indonesia, Korea,
Japan, Egypt, Iran, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Palestine, Algeria, Turkey,
Austria, Germany, Malta, and several other countries.
Although English is the official language of communication, many of these workers
spoke very little of the language. Although they tried, they spoke well below the
usual expectation for a professional working in a critical setting such as an oil field
facility. It is quite interesting that, despite the language barrier, a form of
communication existed, much of it through expression and gesture. Amazingly,
things worked out fine. Work relationships were generally good and there was no
trouble at all.
A special case was one colleague of ours from Thailand. He was a carpenter who
spoke absolutely no English. He was already working there for ten years when I first
met him. Everyone liked him. He was funny, always smiling, making funny facial
jokes, and going about talking in words that were a cross between Arabic, English,
and Thai, with almost indiscernible pronunciation that it often came out like a third
language.
In spite of this barrier, it was fine to all of us. We ended up understanding what he
was saying. He was able to communicate and do his job very well to the company's
satisfaction. Verbal communication is important but, to a large degree, the non-
verbal type holds more importance and credence in an organizational or social
setting such as the one mentioned.
Another strategy is the creation of an employee support system. This would go a
long way. It could be set up to receive confidential calls or set up a face-to-face
conversation to resolve difficulties in the workplace without fear of reprisal (such as
health, family, co-worker, boss, friend, work challenges, coping problem, or others).

5. To conclude, organizational change which is personal is a more effective business
solution. What do you say?
RUFRAN C. FRAGO (031515)
Sources:
Frago, R. (2015). Risk-based Management in the World of Threats and Opportunities: A
Project Controls Perspective.ISBN 978-0-9947608-0-7
You will find a more detailed discussion about the subject article in the paperback edition
of the book "Risk-based Management in the World of Threats and Opportunities: A
Project Controls Perspective." It is also available in Amazon’s Kindle edition.
 http://www.amazon.com/RUFRAN-C.-FRAGO-PMI-RMP/e/B01055MPYI
 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0104OFUDI/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb
 https://www.amazon.com/author/rufrancfrago
The book provides new/additional knowledge to project management practitioners
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The sectional contents offer practical and common sense approach to
identifying/managing risks. It is a must have for company managers, directors,
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gradually bringing the reader to deeper topics using a conversational style with simple
terminologies. Check it out!
https://youtu.be/wxWgYUhiWos
https://www.amazon.com/author/rufrancfrago

6. Other articles authored by Rufran Frago:
1. Risks Surrounding Canada’s TFW Part 1
2. Risks as a Function of Time
3. Project Schedule: P50, Anyone?
4. Changing the Culture of Your Organization
5. A Person Perceives Others Based on His Own Interest
6. How Can Management Motivate and Empower?
7. How Can Managers Increase Leadership Effectiveness
8. Risks Surrounding Canada’s TFW Part 2
9. Scaffolding Hours: What are they? Directs or Indirects? Part 2
10.Oil Price, Recession: Causes, Issues and Risks