DC63 Summary: How Boards Shape Change—And Why Many Get It Wrong

By Simon Powers

Read the full article on Substack: How Boards Shape Change, and Why Many Get It Wrong (Includes full diagnostic model and strategic application)

Too many transformation efforts fail, not because of poor execution, but because the conditions for change weren’t shaped properly at the top.

Boards and executive teams don’t just sponsor change. They create the environment in which it either succeeds or quietly fails.

In my work advising large organisations through complex transformations, I’ve seen one consistent pattern: culture isn’t downstream of strategy, it’s a strategic lever in its own right. And when boards fail to engage with culture, they miss critical signals about alignment, risk, and performance.

In this first article of my new Substack series, I introduce the Board-Level Cultural Diagnostic, a two-tier model that helps directors and senior leaders identify:

• The strategic tensions that shape behaviour across the org

• The cultural dynamics that impact delivery, retention, and execution

• How board-level decisions cascade through the system

If you’re a board member, investor, or senior exec navigating growth or change, this framework will help you see and steer what metrics alone can’t.

Read the full article on Substack: How Boards Shape Change, and Why Many Get It Wrong (Includes full diagnostic model and strategic application)

This is part of a five-part series unpacking how agility, culture, and strategy combine at board level to drive sustainable growth.