{"id":31124,"date":"2025-08-29T06:23:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T06:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/certn.co\/?p=31124"},"modified":"2025-11-17T16:42:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:42:10","slug":"culture-at-the-edge-how-to-lead-when-everythings-shifting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/certn.co\/anz\/blog\/culture-at-the-edge-how-to-lead-when-everythings-shifting\/","title":{"rendered":"Culture at the Edge: How to Lead When Everything\u2019s Shifting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On this week\u2019s episode of What the FTE?<\/em><\/a>, Certn\u2019s Maya Bellay<\/a> sat down with Stacy Parkinson<\/a>, EVP of People & Culture at Equativ (formerly Sharethrough), for a behind-the-scenes look at what really happens to company culture during change, and how to lead through it without losing your people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having navigated over a dozen mergers, Stacy knows what most leaders get wrong about culture under pressure and how to make the hard stuff count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what stuck with me from the conversation, and what HR leaders can put into action today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Culture Debt Is Real \u2014 And Expensive<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stacy puts it plainly: dodging tough cultural decisions doesn\u2019t save you time – it costs you trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you avoid the hard decisions – that\u2019s cultural debt. Your team sees what you tolerate. And you can\u2019t always buy back that trust.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data backs her up.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies that prioritize culture and organizational health during major transitions outperform those that don\u2019t. According to McKinsey\u2019s Organizational Health Index<\/a>, healthy companies are 3x more likely to retain top performers post-restructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Mergers Aren\u2019t Just About Synergies \u2014 They\u2019re About Identity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Post-merger culture isn\u2019t about declaring winners and losers. It\u2019s about building new connective tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t just pick one culture and force it on the other. You have to create intentional cultural bridging.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means redefining how teams communicate, make decisions, and handle tension. Stacy recommends cross-team collaboration rituals, reverse mentorship, and new shared values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udca1 McKinsey\u2019s research<\/a> shows companies that actively integrate culture post-M&A are nearly 50% more likely to meet performance targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Crisis Can Build Culture \u2014 If You Don\u2019t Fake It<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let a good crisis go to waste.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Sharethrough faced a reduction in force, Stacy leaned into honesty. Managers were coached to deliver hard news with empathy. Teams were given space to grieve. Leaders stood up and named the emotional reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result? A 22% increase in trust<\/strong> on their next engagement survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t spin \u2014 it\u2019s culture work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Scale Culture Through Leadership, Not Heroics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t meet with 700 people, but I can coach execs to meet with their teams meaningfully.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your culture isn\u2019t protected by one function. It\u2019s multiplied through leaders who\u2019ve been trained, trusted, and held accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want a quick pulse check? Ask your exec team:<\/p>\n\n\n\n