When leadership clashes with culture: The risk of transforming without understanding
Companies seek leaders capable of transforming their organizations, driving growth, and leaving their mark. However, when leadership conflicts with the company’s culture, the effects can be more destructive than positive.
Organizational culture—the intricate web of values, behaviors, and internal dynamics—is not always visible in financial reports, but it plays a key role in business sustainability.
The problem arises when a leader, with the best intentions, tries to impose their own style without understanding the culture they are inheriting. If the disconnect is significant, the impact can be immediate: demotivation, lack of commitment, and loss of organizational identity. It’s a silent yet effective process.
The Butterfly Effect Leading to a Cultural Clash
Imagine an executive coming from a company with rigid, hierarchical structures. Upon joining a more agile and collaborative organization, their attempts to implement more controlled processes may create friction. What worked well in their previous experience may now be perceived as a loss of autonomy or an obstacle to innovation. The real issue is that, in many cases, these changes are not seen as improvements but as threats to the way of working that has enabled the company to thrive.
This cultural clash often begins with small gestures: decisions that don’t quite fit, processes that disrupt the usual flow, or messages that contradict shared values. Initially, the impact is almost imperceptible, but over time, teams begin to feel disconnected from the company. What was once a culture of collaboration and autonomy suddenly turns into an environment dominated by uncertainty and dissatisfaction.
The problem isn’t just that the team may feel less motivated; trust begins to erode. As changes are imposed without a proper integration process, people start wondering if the company is still the same one they chose to work for. That feeling of losing identity and a common purpose is difficult to reverse because culture isn’t a manual or a set of written rules—it’s the way people interact, make decisions, and relate to each other and the organization.
The Slow but Steady Deterioration of Culture
The deterioration of organizational culture doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with subtle signs: meetings where ideas no longer flow naturally, decisions that generate doubt rather than consensus, casual comments about how things have changed. Over time, these signs become clear symptoms that something isn’t working. And the leader, who arrived intending to create a positive impact, may end up feeling isolated, facing growing resistance, and watching their initiatives lose traction.
If a new leader fails to understand the value of the existing culture, they may push changes that, rather than strengthening the organization, weaken it. Some companies, in their eagerness to reinvent themselves, introduce structures or methodologies that don’t align with their essence. Others, believing culture to be secondary, set it aside until problems become evident. But when a company’s identity is affected, the consequences run deep, eventually impacting results.
To Prevent Change from Becoming a Problem, Leaders Must Take the Time to Listen and Understand
As Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky clearly state in their adaptive leadership theory, the key is not to arrive with a predefined plan and apply it indiscriminately but to understand and honor the company’s history, values, and dynamics. Only by doing so can leaders identify which aspects can evolve and which must be preserved, as described in The Practice of Adaptive Leadership.
Transformations don’t need to be radical to be effective. Sometimes, small adjustments in the way of working can have a greater impact than a complete restructuring. Respecting what works and adapting it to new needs can be more sustainable than imposing a model disconnected from the company’s reality.
A great example of this can be found in Max Goodwin’s character in the New Amsterdam series, which topped Spain’s TV rankings in 2024 and is trending again with its re-release. In the show, Goodwin is appointed medical director of New Amsterdam Hospital in New York and, through his leadership style, turns this public health center into one of the most efficient in the U.S. The show’s popularity is no coincidence—it’s based on a real case.
Culture Isn’t Static, but It Can’t Be Manipulated Without Consequences
Every change, no matter how small, affects team perception and commitment. Leaders who understand this can drive transformations that strengthen the company’s identity rather than weaken it.
By Gabriel Weinstein, Associate and Managing Partner at Olivia in Europe
