Coerced Practice Implementation in Cases of Low Cultural Fit: Cultural Change and Practice Adaptation During the Implementation of Six Sigma at 3M

In this paper, we present the findings of a longitudinal study of coerced practice implementation in the face of a low degree of fit between the practice and an organization’s culture. Contrary to current predictions that a lack of cultural fit will eventually be resolved through the adaptation of the new practice, our findings portray the implementation of culturally dissonant practices as an ongoing process involving the mutual adaptation of organizational practices and culture. Our emerging model describes the cultural changes induced by the coercive implementation of new practices as involving a partial change in shared beliefs and behavioral patterns, and the more general enrichment of the cultural repertoire of members.