Barriers to Change in Company Transformation

The Multifamily Innovation® Podcast

The toughest challenge in business today isn't technology adoption or market volatility - it's navigating meaningful organizational change. Dr. David White, cognitive anthropologist and transformation expert, joins us to reveal why roughly 70% of change initiatives fail despite good intentions and substantial resources.
Drawing from his 30+ years working with organizations like Microsoft, IBM, and many others, Dr. White shares the groundbreaking insights that led him to pursue a doctorate in cognitive anthropology after witnessing repeated transformation failures. His research uncovered a critical blindspot: businesses fundamentally misunderstand what culture is and how it operates. While most leaders focus on values, behaviors, and mindsets, Dr. White demonstrates that culture actually lives in the tacit, taken-for-granted knowledge that manifests through business practices.
The fascinating paradox Dr. White illuminates is that an organization's greatest strengths often become its most formidable barriers to change. The "dominant logics" that created success—whether prioritizing certainty in manufacturing or rapid iteration in software development—frequently become over-applied across domains where they no longer serve the company's evolution. These logics remain largely invisible until you attempt to change them, at which point resistance emerges from seemingly rational business practices.
Through vivid examples and practical frameworks, Dr. White shows how to diagnose these underlying cultural patterns by asking powerful questions like "How do you define success?" or "What makes someone a rock star in your organization?" and listening for revealing patterns. Rather than treating transformation as a mere project or technology implementation, he guides leaders to recognize when fundamental questions about purpose and identity - "What business are we in?" - need addressing.
Looking to drive meaningful change in your organization? This conversation offers crucial insights that go beyond simplistic change management models to help you understand the invisible forces shaping your company's future. Subscribe now for our upcoming series exploring how to identify barriers to change, craft effective strategies, overcome common pitfalls, and sustain transformative change that sticks.

About the Multifamily Innovation® Council:

The Multifamily Innovation® Council is the executive level membership organization that makes a difference in your bottom line, drives a better experience for your employees, and allows you an experience that keeps demand strong for your company. The council is uniquely positioned to focus on the intersection of Leadership, Technology, AI, and Innovation.
The Multifamily Innovation® Council is for Multifamily Business leaders who want to unlock value inside their organization so they can create better experiences and drive profitability inside their company.
To learn more or to join, visit https://multifamilyinnovation.com.
For more information and to engage with leaders shaping the future of multifamily innovation, visit https://multifamilyinnovation.com/.
Connect:
Multifamily Innovation® Council: https://multifamilyinnovation.com/
Patrick Antrim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickantrim/

Chapters

1. Barriers to Change in Company Transformation (00:00:00)

2. Introduction to Change Barriers (00:00:38)

3. Dr. David White's Background (00:03:26)

4. Defining Culture in Anthropological Terms (00:06:55)

5. Cultural Models and Dominant Logic (00:12:59)

6. How Culture Manifests in Business Practices (00:19:41)

7. Diagnosing Cultural Barriers (00:22:35)

8. Why Change Initiatives Typically Fail (00:30:52)

9. Identifying Resistance to Transformation (00:41:26)

10. Mischaracterizing the Nature of Change (00:50:07)

11. Key Takeaways and Series Preview (00:57:29)