Is Culture a Workstream of Its Own, or Embedded in All Workstreams of a Project?

In any transformation project, culture plays a crucial role in determining the success or failure of the initiative. Yet, the question often arises: should culture be treated as a distinct workstream, or should it be embedded across all workstreams? Recently, a colleague and I have been considering this question ...

Culture as an Embedded Force:

Some argue that culture isn't a standalone workstream because it permeates every aspect of an organisation. After all, culture influences how decisions are made, how teams collaborate, and how change is adopted. In this sense, treating culture as something separate may overlook its pervasive nature, limiting its potential impact.

By embedding cultural considerations into each workstream — whether it's technology, process redesign, or organisational restructuring—culture becomes a continuous thread woven into the project's fabric. For example, embedding cultural awareness in a digital transformation initiative ensures that the technology adoption reflects values and norms.

Culture as a Standalone Workstream:

On the other hand, some transformation leaders advocate for treating culture as a workstream of its own, with dedicated resources, goals, and outcomes. The reasoning here is that culture requires deliberate focus and management. As culture encompasses deep-rooted beliefs, practices, and behaviors, managing it as a distinct workstream allows for targeted interventions—especially when the goal is to shift or transform the existing culture.

In large-scale projects, ignoring cultural nuances can lead to resistance, confusion, and even failure. Therefore, having a specific cultural workstream can provide clarity, with clear deliverables on how to engage, align, and transform the culture alongside the project’s other deliverables.

The Hybrid Approach:

In practice, a hybrid approach might be the most effective. You can establish cultural objectives within the overall strategy while ensuring that every workstream actively considers cultural implications. This ensures that culture has focus while also staying integrated with the practical, day-to-day efforts of the transformation.

Our Conclusion: Culture is Both

Ultimately, culture is too critical to be overlooked or siloed. Every transformation must consider how its efforts interact with and reshape the organisational culture. Whether as a formal workstream or an embedded focus, culture needs intentional action to align people and processes with the desired outcomes.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experience?