The Hidden Cost of Misaligned Teams
Ever walked into a meeting where half the room operates by one set of unspoken rules while the other half follows completely different ones? Welcome to culture clash.
It happens more than you think. Especially after mergers, acquisitions, or major restructuring when different teams come together for the first time, bringing different values, expectations and behaviors with them. This culture clash can jeopardize the very outcomes the organization was trying to achieve—added capabilities, boosted productivity, and expanded reach.
Here’s an Example
A nationwide retail client was having great success with Atana's sexual harassment prevention training—until they acquired several new companies. Suddenly, their Atana Insights data showed a dramatic drop in employee willingness to support harassment prevention efforts.
The data was consistent with what we see in most culture clash situations:
- Trust erodes. Inconsistent standards create confusion about what's actually expected, leaving employees questioning leadership decisions.
- Collaboration crumbles. When teams operate from different playbooks, working together becomes nearly impossible.
- Initiatives fail. That brilliant new strategy? It won't stick when half your organization resists change while the other half embraces it.
But here's the good news—culture clash is fixable with the right approach.
The L&D solution: Get everyone speaking the same language
The L&D solution: Get everyone speaking the same language
Organization-wide respectful workplace training can create a unified cultural foundation. Instead of hoping different groups will naturally align, you establish clear expectations and consistent standards across every department, location, and team level.
For the retail client, this course of action presented the perfect solution for building cultural cohesion.
A closer look at their data revealed something important: Managers were actively working to align newly merged teams, but employees were still resistant. To support managers, the company had supplemented their sexual harassment prevention training with Atana's respectful workplace course, How Was Your Day? The training made a measurable impact on manager attitudes and capabilities around company culture. But employees hadn't received the same training, leaving them without shared values, expectations, and an understanding of what a respectful workplace looks like.
Many training efforts stop at training delivery—then assume it worked.
But with Atana, training is just the beginning. Atana helps you see more, giving organizations clarity and an ability to act with precision to get everyone on the same page.
Many training efforts stop at training delivery—then assume it worked.
But with Atana, training is just the beginning. Atana helps you see more, giving organizations clarity and an ability to act with precision to get everyone on the same page.
The result? Recognizing the negative impact of resistance on their post-acquisition growth and efficiency goals, the company committed to rolling out How Was Your Day? companywide to give all employees the same cultural foundation that worked for their managers.
Ready to Resolve Your Culture Clash?
Whether it's cultural alignment, onboarding, or compliance training, Atana's behavior-based eLearning and Insights Dashboard can help you build the unified workplace culture your organization needs.
Organization-wide respectful workplace training can create a unified cultural foundation. Instead of hoping different groups will naturally align, you establish clear expectations and consistent standards across every department, location, and team level.
For the retail client, this course of action presented the perfect solution for building cultural cohesion.
A closer look at their data revealed something important: Managers were actively working to align newly merged teams, but employees were still resistant. To support managers, the company had supplemented their sexual harassment prevention training with Atana's respectful workplace course, How Was Your Day? The training made a measurable impact on manager attitudes and capabilities around company culture. But employees hadn't received the same training, leaving them without shared values, expectations, and an understanding of what a respectful workplace looks like.
Preview How Was Your Day?
The result? Recognizing the negative impact of resistance on their post-acquisition growth and efficiency goals, the company committed to rolling out How Was Your Day? companywide to give all employees the same cultural foundation that worked for their managers.
Many training efforts stop at training delivery—then assume it worked.
But with Atana, training is just the beginning. Atana helps you see more, giving organizations clarity and an ability to act with precision to get everyone on the same page.
Ready to Resolve Your Culture Clash?
Whether it's cultural alignment, onboarding, or compliance training, Atana's behavior-based eLearning and Insights Dashboard can help you build the unified workplace culture your organization needs.
The result? Recognizing the negative impact of resistance on their post-acquisition growth and efficiency goals, the company committed to rolling out How Was Your Day? companywide to give all employees the same cultural foundation that worked for their managers.
Many training efforts stop at training delivery—then assume it worked.
But with Atana, training is just the beginning. Atana helps you see more, giving organizations clarity and an ability to act with precision to get everyone on the same page.
Ready to Resolve Your Culture Clash?
Whether it's cultural alignment, onboarding, or compliance training, Atana's behavior-based eLearning and Insights Dashboard can help you build the unified workplace culture your organization needs.
About the Author
Amanda Hagman, Ph.D. | Chief Scientist: Behavioral Data Science
Dr. Hagman is an expert in behavior change and intervention science, adept at turning data into practical solutions that drive meaningful change in workplace behaviors. With a background in program evaluation and learning analytics, she uses predictive insights to foster positive behavioral outcomes on a large scale. As head of research at Atana, Dr. Hagman integrates behavioral change principles into training courses tackling common workplace issues. Her work targeting critical behavioral goals is designed to deliver concrete and lasting improvements for organizations.
