Modern organizational systems theory, rooted in the work of Niklas Luhmann, offers an explanation. From this perspective, culture resists direct control; it can only be influenced indirectly, through the way work is organized and how decisions are made. In other words, culture is not the cause of performance problems or successes, but an effect of how the organization continuously handles them.
As a consequence, culture cannot be treated as something leaders can actively engineer through new values statements, training programs or rebranding exercises. It emerges from repeated interactions and shared experiences. A further implication of the systems-theoretic view is that leaders should resist the common temptation to ‘fix’ people or their supposed mindsets. Behavior always makes sense within the organizational context that produces it. Thus, changing context, not people, is the bigger lever for achieving cultural shift. When that organizational context — such as decision routines, incentives and communication patterns — is adjusted, new behaviors naturally emerge.
For executives, this shift in thinking is crucial. Instead of trying to design a desired target culture, they should focus on value generation and start identifying very specific cultural barriers that block it. Once cultural root causes are uncovered and understood, they can design targeted interventions that reshape how employees make decisions, solve problems and collaborate. Done well, these interventions overcome the barriers to value creation — and, in turn, culture follows as a side effect.