By: Treasure Tunnel
Workplace culture consultant Janice Brathwaite witnesses this all-too-familiar scene unfolding in conference rooms every day: An employee finally speaks up, politely presenting a solution to a pressing problem. The team leader nods thoughtfully and says, “Let’s table this until our next meeting.” But at the next meeting, the topic never resurfaces—and the employee learns to stay quiet.
Brathwaite has a term for the accumulated cost of dismissed voices, ignored concerns, and unresolved issues: culture debt. Much like financial debt, cultural debt may undermine even the most successful organizations.
Brathwaite points to a recent high-profile example: “At Boeing, the workers knew there were problems, but the organization kept sweeping them under the rug.”
Any organization, from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits, may suffer from dysfunctional cultural patterns, and Brathwaite believes they may be resolved.
This belief led her to develop her signature Workplace Transformation Method™, a five-pillar framework that addresses the root causes of cultural dysfunction, including culture debt, in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to major healthcare organizations.
Handling Executive Resistance
Even when an organization commits to cultural change, executives may not always be on board. During one engagement, Brathwaite presented her program to a CEO who looked her in the eye and declared, “We don’t have time for this.”
The leader then described how the company had recently renovated their headquarters building, and after completion, the staff had nothing but complaints. As it turned out, employees had been promised they could participate in the renovation decisions, but leadership had made all the choices unilaterally.
Rather than pushing back, Brathwaite asked a simple question: “How often do you think this happens in your organization?” The CEO responded that they couldn’t ask employees about every decision, or nothing would ever get done. Brathwaite then reframed the issue entirely using what she calls the leadership contract.
Establishing The Leadership Contract
“The leadership contract is an agreement leaders make with employees, outlining who is going to do what and when,” she explains. “Employees need to know what they are and are not going to have a say in.”
She advises leaders to be explicit in their leadership contracts. “When it comes to strategy, leadership makes the decisions, but there are concrete areas where employee input drives outcomes,” she says.
This inclusive approach to decision-making addresses one of the biggest misconceptions about organizational culture transformation, Brathwaite observes among executives.
She explains, “When executives hear the term ‘organizational culture,’ they interpret it as, ‘everything I’ve done up to this point has been wrong.’ That’s why I start out having my executives identify all the things that are positive in their organization. I want them to understand that many things are working well before we address any concerns.”
Building On A Five-Pillar Framework
Workplace culture matters because replacing an entry-level employee may cost anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of their annual salary, while replacing an executive-level employee can potentially cost 400 percent or more. High levels of employee engagement can reduce turnover rates between 18 and 51 percent. A healthy workplace culture fosters engagement.
Named Employer Partner of the Year by Operation Able, Brathwaite brings over 17 years of healthcare leadership experience and credentials, including a Master’s in Management from Cambridge College and certifications in Lean methodologies and organizational culture assessments, to her work as Founder and CEO of Workplace Transformations.
Brathwaite’s Workplace Transformation Method™ provides a systematic roadmap for identifying and repairing cultural dysfunction through five distinct pillars.
- The Diagnose phase utilizes her proprietary Culture Clarity Snapshot to identify high-level cultural pain points, such as high turnover and employee disengagement.
- The Align phase addresses communication problems through her Leadership Lab, which utilizes targeted executive coaching and leadership simulations over a six-week period.
- The Attract phase utilizes Value-Driven Hiring to recruit talent aligned with organizational values, thereby directly enhancing staff retention.
- The Activate phase creates a customized Culture-in-Action playbook that helps organizations stay on track with improvements.
- The Sustain phase provides a Culture ROI Toolkit that tracks metrics.
Once the pillars are in place, employee engagement increases, and culture debt begins to be repaired.
Change Begins With Diagnostics
Brathwaite’s client engagement process reflects her core belief that lasting change must be championed by the person at the top of the organization.
Her motto is simple: “The way forward comes from within.”
She begins with the CEO, asking two questions: what are the great things about this organization, and what kinds of organizational challenges keep you awake at night.
Next, she meets with the senior management team, asking the same questions to reveal how well they align with the CEO’s perspective. Then she meets with managers and supervisors, where gaps begin to emerge. Finally, she meets with front-line staff, who are often the most candid about what is great and what needs improvement.
Through her diagnostic work across organizations of all sizes, Brathwaite has identified a consistent pattern.
She says, “Whether you’re a Fortune 500 or an organization with 100 employees, the issues remain the same.” There are three things that are usually rated much lower than other areas: communications, recognition, and development opportunities. This is where you can start improving your culture.”
The Future of Workplace Culture
Looking ahead, Brathwaite sees organizational culture continuing as the primary factor by which employees decide whether to join or stay with an organization. She’s particularly interested in how artificial intelligence impacts the workforce.
She comments, “Some people feel AI is going to replace them.”
“It’s something organizations need to talk with employees about. What will the organization’s focus be on in AI utilization? AI is either going to be the best innovation in the past 50 years or something to be feared and underutilized. It’s all in how it is presented and implemented.”
Brathwaite’s mission reflects a firm belief grounded in lived experience that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and supported in the workplace. Through Workplace Transformations, she provides leaders with a proven framework and effective tools to create a working environment where people and organizations can thrive.
To learn more about Janice Brathwaite and the Workplace Transformation Method™, visit her website or connect with her on LinkedIn.
