{"id":1158,"date":"2026-05-11T07:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T07:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjleader\/?p=1158"},"modified":"2026-04-28T13:10:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T13:10:32","slug":"why-we-cant-shift-the-dial-on-institutional-culture-by-nagina-khan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjleader\/2026\/05\/11\/why-we-cant-shift-the-dial-on-institutional-culture-by-nagina-khan\/","title":{"rendered":"Why We Can\u2019t Shift the Dial on Institutional Culture. By Nagina Khan"},"content":{"rendered":"

When long-term staff become part of the furniture<\/b>
\n<\/span>I often hear the same frustration: \u2018why can\u2019t we change the culture, no matter how many initiatives we launch?\u2019 New values are drafted, consultants are brought in, workshops delivered but day-to-day reality barely shifts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Often, the answer is in plain sight: those who have been there longest quietly shape the culture the most, not always in ways that help the organisation evolve. Over years or decades, people accumulate informal authority. They know which rules matter, which can be ignored and employees watch them closely, learning \u2018how things really work.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As organisational culture scholar <\/span>Edgar H. Schein<\/span><\/a> explains, culture is reinforced through shared assumptions and everyday behaviours, especially those modelled by influential insiders. Employees follow what experienced colleagues do, not what documents say.<\/span><\/p>\n

When familiarity becomes immovable<\/b>
\n<\/span>Long-serving staff carry institutional memory and provide continuity, stabilising organisations during change. But over time, familiarity can become permanence. Roles become identities, behaviours go unchallenged and individuals become part of the organisational landscape. Influential insiders acting as they always have signal: \u2018the new culture might be talked about, but the old one still runs the show.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Organisational theorist <\/span>Rosabeth Moss Kanter<\/span><\/a> notes that resistance often comes from those most successful under the current system. The very structures and behaviours enabling their success are often what change initiatives aim to reshape.<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem isn\u2019t tenure, it\u2019s unchecked influence<\/b>
\n<\/span>Resistance is rarely malicious it often reflects comfort with familiar patterns. Longevity isn\u2019t the issue; unexamined influence is. Common patterns include:<\/span><\/p>\n