DPK Consulting is One of 29 to be Recognized by the 94th Annual Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health Awards in NJ

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Earlier this month, 29 New Jersey employers were honored with Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health Awards, a program to recognize worksites – public and private – that have demonstrated effective safety and health programs resulting in the prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses.

“I am pleased to announce that after our on-site OSHA review, we have earned the Safety and Health Performance Award for achievement in the prevention of occupational injuries,” states Ray Hyman, COO at DPK Consulting. “It’s not every day you voluntarily invite OSHA in to audit your operations. 4 OSHA professionals came and did a comprehensive investigation. The OSHA team reviewed 3 years of our logs, our Emergency Action and Response Plan, our Job Safety Analysis Sheets and other documents related to our extensive Health and Safety Program. I was confident because we keep our safety processes and procedures manuals current and spend a good deal of time training our employees. DPK Consulting has a long running commitment to Health & Safety so everything we do is based on best practices. I’m proud of our teams and our managers who support and reinforce safety on a daily basis.”

DPK Consulting maintains an EMR below 1 and have been a recipient of this award many times over the last 20 plus years they’ve been in business. According to Mr. Hyman, they welcomed the OSHA team’s reviews and appreciated the advice received on how best to sustain their processes and safety programs over time. He shared that every new DPK field team member gets their Hazwoper OSHA 40-hour in the first 30 days.

Winners of NJ Governors Occupational Safety and Health Award presented by Rob Asaro-Angelo, Commissioner of the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The 94th Annual Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health Awards were presented during OSHA’s Safe + Sound Week Kickoff Lunch & Learn Webinar, which highlighted the roles of management and employees in finding and fixing hazards to ensure workplaces remain healthy and safe.

DPK Consulting’s record of safety is a critical part of their business culture. “Our goal is to have every one of our team members go home at the end of the day in the same condition they came in, states James Heiser,” DPK’s President and CEO. “Ray is doing a great job with our operations and is a big reason our processes and programs are as successful as they are. Beyond the safety of our people, our customers in the environmental and construction industries also value safety. It’s often a requirement and we work hard to stay on top of each organizations specific safety protocols.”

DPK Consulting is a land surveying firm specializing in 3D scanning and drone-based services for the environmental, engineering, construction, and commercial land development industries. DPK was an early adopter of safety as a culture. In addition to OSHA HazWoper 40-Hour, they provide their teams with comprehensive and ongoing Health & Safety programs, including Loss Prevention System, American Petroleum Institute, Shell Life Saving Rules, Chevron 101, CSX, NJ Transit and MTA. DPK is Avetta registered, and all crews are medically monitored.

DPK is licensed in NJ, NY, CT, PA & DE.

If you would like to discuss a project opportunity, please call 732-764-0100 and ask for Ray Hyman.

DPK Consulting Sponsors the LSRPA’s Battle at the Beach!

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DPK Consulting Sponsors the LSRPA’s Battle at the Beach!

DPK Consulting’s Garrett Kendall, James Heiser, Eric Steeber and Doug Noel team up at the Annual Cornhole Tournament at Martell’s Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant.

DPK Consulting has been a partner of the NJ LSRPA for over a decade and sponsor of many events and conferences. “Knowing that the proceeds go to educational scholarships, especially in an industry in need of young talent, is an easy one to invest in,” states James Heiser, DPK’s President & CEO. “It was great to spend time with my team and many of our customers while doing something good for the industry. The #LSRPA does an excellent job with their events”

DPK provides traditional surveying, 3D scanning and drone-based UAV services to help environmental consultants and engineers with broad range of services from monitoring wells/soil boring locations to drone-based environmental site investigations. Beyond high resolution photos and video, DPK helps consultants more safely isolate key site features such as contaminant source delineation that might otherwise be difficult to identify through ground level investigation.

For more information or to discuss a project opportunity, please call 732-764-0100 and ask for Ray Hyman.

Camp Johnsonburg – DPK Lends a Helping Hand for Kids…

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DPK Consulting’s President and CEO James Heiser knew that helping his colleague, Bill DiBartolo, was simply a good thing to do.

Bill is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Johnsonburg Camp and Retreat Center, a 501c3 non-profit organization run by Presbyterian Camps and Conferences. This organization is dedicated to working and supporting year-round youth camps and adult retreats since 1960.

But that’s not where the story begins. Bill and James were classmates at NJIT. Both are members of the NJSPLS, and both serve on the legislative committee. DPK Consulting is also a subcontractor to Mott Macdonald where Bill works in surveying.

As the Johnsonburg Camp and Retreat Center approaches its 64th year of operation, its infrastructure is in need of upgrades to its roadways, hiking trails, electrical and water systems. These improvements along with many others will help sustain the organization’s programs and growth for kids through the coming decades. The property has not had any survey mapping since 1959. At roughly 300 acres, that can be an expensive endeavor.

That’s where DPK Consulting stepped in to help. Leveraging their Drones, LiDAR technology, and GPS, DPK was able to fly the property at an efficiency level that would have never been possible just a few short years ago. DPK provided geospatial data that the organization can now use as a basemap to support their current redevelopment projects, local permitting for new buildings, and future needs, such as planning and development of new property features.

“The staff at Johnsonburg and I are very grateful for DPK’s donation of time and equipment, as well as their experience to put together the property information we can now utilize to advance our facility’s needs,” states Bill DiBartolo. “We’re fortunate to have an industry partner who is willing to contribute and do some good for others”.

DPK’s Geospatial Division worked closely with the team at the Johnsonburg Camp and Retreat Center as well as the surrounding community. They encountered heavy vegetation across the entire property making the drone flight from the camp property nearly impossible. Good neighbors however allowed DPK’s team to use their personal property enabling them to launch from the highest point. This helped DPK maintain visual contact with their drone throughout the flight. GPS was utilized to set Ground Control Points for accurate georeferencing of the data.

DPK delivered CAD files, Orthomosaics, Point Clouds, Photos and Video through their Client Web Portal. This current property information will help the organization improve their facility for years to come and provide thousands of kids memorable experiences in New Jersey’s beautiful highlands.

LEARN MORE about DPK’s unique services and interstate surveying reach by calling James Heiser or Ray Hyman at 732-764-0010. From traditional surveying to the latest geospatial tools, such as 3D scanning and powerful drone technology, DPK creates an approach that delivers value beyond the initial scope of work.

EXPERIENCE Service Without Boundaries. Call DPK Today, 732-764-0100

DPK Expands Internship Program to Groom Next Generation of Surveyors

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I met Tim Hydrusko at the annual New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors (NJSPLS) SurvCon event in February. Tim is a veteran surveyor of more than 20 years who is enjoying the “giving back” stage of his life. He volunteers with Habitat for Humanity every week. He recently earned a license to teach scuba diving. He travels the world with his five grandchildren, crossing off bucket list destinations along the way.

Tim and I instantly connected because we share a concern about the long-term, overall health of the commercial surveying industry. With 50 to 60 surveyors retiring each year and only about seven to 10 new surveying licenses being issued annually, a worsening talent shortage is looming if we don’t take action.

Although you need a four-year degree to get a surveying license in the State of New Jersey, you can’t just go to school to become a surveyor. Tim and I share the view that we as an industry need to be more proactive and creative about bringing more people to the surveying profession and training new surveyors.

I knew Tim would be the perfect person to embrace the newly created role of Director of Survey Education at DPK Consulting. Tim’s experience and perspective are critical as we build and expand our internship program and empower young surveyors to be successful.

Surveying firms no longer can simply recruit experienced surveyors whose numbers are dwindling. To sustain and grow the industry and deliver quality work for clients, there needs to be a commitment to training green surveyors from the ground up. That’s why we at DPK launched our internship program and are so excited to have Tim on board.

 

Learning by Doing – and Listening 

Our goal is to use our internship program to educate new employees and assimilate them to the DPK culture. We want to teach them the DPK way when they’re sponges seeking information to absorb instead of making them unlearn deeply engrained bad habits.

More than learning the technical aspects of the profession, we want new surveyors to understand how to solve problems and make sound decisions in different types of circumstances. This is only achieved through real-world experience in the field under the guidance of a seasoned veteran.

Tim recalls a pattern from his surveying career in which a field crew of three typically included one person who understood how to get the job done and two who needed help. Through consistent mentoring, an experienced mentor can provide the one-on-one training necessary to enable an individual who needs and wants help to succeed. A mentor can also make the determination that an inexperienced individual might not be cut out for this type of work.

Tim is a can-do professional who teaches young surveyors that there’s a solution to every problem if you’re willing to dig deep enough to find it. You need to have the mindset and attitude to overcome the obstacle instead of letting the obstacle defeat you.

 

Real-World Impact of Real-World Training

Derek Magruther came to DPK with about a year of experience holding a rod and prism. We wanted Derek to be on his own as quickly as possible, so we sent him to out to smaller job sites with Tim.

At one point, Derek couldn’t find some of the property markers required to complete the job. Tim showed him how to use the GPS to find the corners. Instead of calling the office or failing to gather the information he needed, Derek was able to get the job done. More importantly, he learned how to solve a simple problem by overcoming obstacles in a real-world scenario.

Tim isn’t teaching Derek how to push buttons. He’s showing him why to push buttons, when to push them, and what problems can be solved by pushing them situationally. That’s the benefit of working directly with someone like Tim who has seen just about every curveball imaginable.

According to Derek, working with Tim has been tremendously helpful in building his self-confidence. He’s learned how to approach challenges with the right mindset, make smart decisions in the moment, and apply best practices like an experienced pro.

 

DPK’s Commitment to Sustaining and Growing the Industry

Ideally, an internship program will enable inexperienced surveyors to learn more quickly, thrive and become future mentors of young talent. Through their own mentoring, they’ll reinforce and strengthen their own technical and problem-solving skills, creating a continuous cycle of teaching and improvement.

To support this process, we’ve defined what we want a DPK employee to be. We look for certain qualities when recruiting to ensure the people we hire fit the profile. We’ve also revamped our performance review process so we can measure each individual against that profile. This will help us feed the right talent into our internship program and continue to develop that talent in a way that benefits DPK, our clients, the young professional, and the industry as a whole.

As President-Elect of NJSPLS, I’m looking for ways to elevate and grow commercial surveying throughout New Jersey. This will require more firms to adopt internship and mentoring programs that identify and groom the next generation of surveyors to fill the talent pipeline.

Right now, retiring surveyors outnumber the new surveyors. We can close the gap – not just DPK, but all surveying companies. We can do this by looking beyond our own success and contributing to the success of the greater good.

We also need more people like Tim Hydrusko to share their knowledge with new surveyors. As Tim puts it, if surveying was good to you, it’s time to give something back because the industry needs you.

Let’s commit to growing the surveying industry and, at the same time, developing talent capable of delivering better results for our clients. After all, there is no greater reward than a satisfied client.

DPK’s Unmanned Aerial Systems for Environmental Due Diligence

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EPA defines “All appropriate inquiries” as a process of evaluating a property’s environmental conditions and assessing potential liability for any contamination. All appropriate inquiries must be conducted to obtain certain protections from liability under the federal Superfund Law (CERCLA). The specific reporting requirements for all appropriate inquiries are provided in 40 CFR §312.21 §312.31 of the final rule. The results of the inquiry are typically documented in a Phase 1 Property Environmental Site Assessment. Recommendations for the conduct of a Phase 1 ESA are published in ASTM E1527-13, Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process and contain requirements for a records review, including historical aerial photography, a site inspection, and surrounding area survey. The Phase 1 ESA “shelf life” is generally good for 180 days. Thereafter, it should be updated including a new visual inspection.

Those in the environmental profession will agree that it is extremely fortuitous to find a historic aerial photo that is younger than 180 days. Prior to the advent of unmanned aerial systems (aka “drones”), with their HD cameras and sensors, the cost of commissioning an aerial survey of a property was prohibitive. After all, these costs are generally not recoverable if the property transaction falls through, as the prospective buyer usually incurs the cost up front. This all has changed. With the advent of FAA Part 107 authorization, the use of UAS for property inspection has expanded rapidly and is already standard accepted practice in the residential and commercial real estate markets.

The application of UAS surveys for Phase 1 ESAs is invaluable. Not only does one obtain a “bird’s eye view” of the property, but the drone can also be used to fly into areas where environmental professionals have limited access, due to either the size or condition of the subject property, barriers to vehicular or pedestrian access, dense vegetation, wetlands or natural hazards.

Combining the HD photography with digital photogrammetry solutions and remote sensing devices opens a completely new vista for the environmental due diligence practice. Application of photogrammetry permits the construction of high resolution 2D and 3D maps, digital elevation models and georeferenced orthomosaics that can be output as geotagged imagery, GIS Data (KML, SHP, etc.), 3D Point Cloud Data (LAS) or highly accurate CAD outputs (DXF, DWG, etc.). The work product can be overlaid by maps of thermal and spectral sensor data to identify factors potentially indicative of environmental degradation not visible to the human eye. Should the property evaluation and purchase proceed, the same drone assets and reference datum can be used for more refined investigation, ecological resource impact assessment, cleanup of contaminated hot-spots, redevelopment planning, building construction management, safety auditing and post construction asset management.

Having undertaken multiple UAS surveys as part of Phase 1 ESAs, including properties encompassing tens of thousands of acres and hundreds of miles of transmission assets, we can state unequivocally that this technology is a game changer for the environmental industry as we continuously look to improve how we work to better serve our clients and to produce the best quality product possible while remaining cost competitive. Best of all, is the sheer joy of watching our valued clients jump with excitement as the data feed streams live from our aerial platform to our mobile data center, allowing them to refine the view in real time, and target areas of concern for refinement of the tactical mission while boots are still “on the ground.” By that measure, the technology is priceless.

Putting a drone in the air over an environmental site is something that every consulting engineer or environmental services firm should be planning to do in 2022 if they haven’t already. CALL Tom Gregory or Steve Parent at DPK Consulting and learn more about the effectiveness and efficiencies of drone-based services at 732-764-0100. 

James Heiser Installed as NJSPLS President Elect

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Walking the Walk

If you say you want to be a leader, you need to do the things leaders do. You need to get involved in sustaining what’s important to you. 

James Heiser, President, and CEO of DPK Consulting, a commercial surveyor, 3D scanning and drone-based services company, not only leads the company he owns, but actively invests time and energy with the industry’s business association. 

Just last month, James was installed as President Elect of the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors (NJSPLS). He recognizes that commitments and efforts made outside of his company will also ultimately support it – along with all the state’s surveying companies. 

“Being involved in NJSPLS is an honor”, states Mr. Heiser. “Professionals need to collaborate, share challenges, and develop solutions to maintain quality standards and advocate the value surveying professionals represent to land developers, architects, engineers, construction companies as well as environmental consultants. We also need to encourage educational institutions to promote or create tracks for young people who are interested in technical paths, but also want to contribute to the development or preservation of our country’s diverse landscapes,” concludes Mr. Heiser.

The New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors is a statewide professional group comprised of professional land surveyors, technicians, and allied professionals. The Society members demonstrate their commitment to their profession through their high standards, public action and educational forums.

NJSPLS provides a forum to meet and learn from other professional surveyors and encourages professionalism through education. An active Legislative Committee keeps tabs on Trenton and works closely with our government affairs team.

Learn more about the NJSPLS at https://www.njspls.org/

Navigating Culture Change, Part 3: Building a High-Performance Team to Support Your Journey and Vision
– James Heiser, P.L.S., President and CEO of DPK

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Introduction

In the first two articles of this series, I discussed what culture is and why it matters, and the role of leadership and employees in culture change. Since those articles were published, DPK Consulting has made two major announcements that are directly relevant to navigating culture change and, more specifically, how to build a high-performance team to support culture change.

First, we announced the acquisition of Geomatix, a company that offers drone services, remote sensing, and analytics. This will enable us to provide even more value to our customers. Second, we announced our relocation to our new Edison headquarters, a larger, more open space, that will enable us to add to our team and better support services.

Why These Strategic Events Matter

There are very practical reasons for these developments. The forward trending and unique capabilities of drone-based services from Geomatix are highly complementary to DPK services. This is resulting in new levels of efficiency for our customers while creating exciting expansion opportunities into new markets. Expanding our services also increases opportunities for our people, a critical aspect for growth and talent retention. At the same time, the new office space is large enough to accommodate new personnel, incorporate new services and technology into our operations, and support DPK’s steady growth. Our proximity to the Metropark train station will simplify commuting for our team and allow us to attract talent from a larger geographic area.

Digging deeper, the Geomatix acquisition and our new headquarters are evidence of the new culture we’re building at DPK. They reinforce our organizational values and goals. The new space enables and encourages “collaboration by design” with work and meeting spaces throughout the suite. Everyone can have a voice in client projects as well as the overall direction of the company. Our new “open” office layout makes having quick, unplanned meeting or work conversation with a colleague so much easier as evidenced by the small groups of people I see huddled around a CAD operator’s screen or project documents throughout the day.

The new space also has a different energy. Employees, clients, and visitors can feel it. There is a sense of pride from team members about their new work environment. Coming to work is more enjoyable and people are communicating more openly.

Another example of this change occurred when I returned to the office after a recent vacation. I noticed that our crews were in the parking lot, fist bumping as they loaded up for the day’s projects. It very rewarding to see that type of energy and sense of team happening so naturally.

The culture is coming together, and some aspects are even accelerating, because of the recent developments in the organization.

The Playbook

When we started this journey about five years ago, we created “the playbook,” which is a document that would guide our decision-making process from a cultural perspective. Whenever we have to make a decision, we ask ourselves whether that decision meets the criteria for what we are trying to do and where we want to go.

Of course, an essential part of building a high-performance team is including everyone in your vision. It’s important to set expectations, invite people to buy into your vision, and encourage input and feedback at all levels. Not everyone will get on board at the same time, so it’s important to create numerous touchpoints and opportunities for people to get involved.

Because everyone at DPK is included and the vision has been clearly defined and communicated, we’ve been able to build alignment between our strategic goals and activities and the values and behaviors that drive the culture. When you have alignment between business strategy and culture, and each compliments, supports and strengthens the other, you achieve better results.

Driving Positive Culture Change

The best part is that, as CEO, I’m no longer supplying the energy, collaboration, and commitment that has emerged at DPK. My vision is now embedded in the culture, and it is now the driving force. When I sit in meetings, I’m now more of an observer. I listen to great ideas from people who are eager to contribute. People are managing up, and our organizational paradigm has shifted from top down to horizontal with everyone feeling ownership.

The beliefs, behaviors, perceptions, values, goals, and aspirations that make up the large, hidden part of the iceberg (referenced in Part 1 of this series) have become more visible. Ongoing reinforcement from leaders has heightened awareness of these more submerged qualities of culture. As a result, it has become more engrained in who we are, what we believe, and how we operate daily. It is no longer forced and talked about as something separate from our everyday work lives.

We used to have negative people affecting the culture. That’s not uncommon. Negative people often overpower positive people who are hesitant to speak up. The seeds we planted years ago, are growing. At this point, we just have to make sure they have the sunlight and water to thrive.

When we hire new people, they quickly learn the culture because it’s visible. It’s living and breathing. In fact, many people are now coming to us and saying what a great reputation we have in the industry. The top talent wants to work for us because they know what we stand for and how we do things. As a result, the cost of recruiting goes down, while employee retention goes up.

I couldn’t be prouder of the culture we have built and are committed to cultivating at DPK. Recent developments with our acquisition of Geomatix and our new home in Edison are the latest evidence of this journey.

I’m confident that DPK will achieve the greatest success by strengthening and sustaining the culture that continues to drive us forward.  

DPK Consulting Moves to Larger Headquarters to Support Growth

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DPK Consulting is moving its corporate headquarters to a new, 9,000+ square foot facility at 200 Metroplex Road in Edison, NJ. Their continued growth in the environmental and engineering markets has the company expanding both field crews and CAD systems team members. Additionally, the recently announced acquisition of Geomatix, LLC. has added more people and greatly expanded their services platform. The anticipated need and decision from company leadership to invest in more space is being rapidly validated.

“Our growth pace is exceeding my own expectations,” states James Heiser, President & CEO of DPK Consulting. “It’s very gratifying to follow best practices and strategic planning and have it all come together this way. Our team is filled with talented and very experienced professionals. We are far stronger than we were just several months ago,” continues Mr. Heiser. “In addition to our commercial land surveying and 3D scanning capabilities, we are now able to expand our services platform to include software-driven drone services and high-tech direct sensing and analytics for a broad number of commercial applications. Our future looks very bright,” concludes Mr. Heiser.

DPK’s new office space also contributes to their internal business culture and goals of creating a positive and collaborative work environment. The new workspaces are defined but in open space to foster dialogue between interdependent teams working on complex projects.

“We are very excited about this new space,” state Ray Hyman, DPK’s COO. “With front and rear entrances and ample parking, it’s very convenient for team members to come in and out efficiently. The new office space is highly secure with electronic key card entryways. We’re surrounded by windows letting in a lot of natural light. There is a kitchen and break room with multiple tables, we even have a food services facility in the lobby,” Continues Mr. Hyman. “Everything that makes an office employee friendly is amplified here. Unlike our current layout, it will be amazing to have everyone in the same suite,” concludes Mr. Hyman.

DPK’s is targeting December 1st to occupy their new headquarters.

DPK Consulting Expands Services Through Acquisition

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November 11, 2021 – Piscataway, NJ – DPK Consulting, LLC announces the acquisition of Geomatix, LLC of Pennington, NJ. Geomatix is a progressive company focused on drone services, remote sensing, and analytics for the environmental, civil engineering, commercial construction, utility, ecological and risk management markets https://www.geomatix.us/

“Adding Geomatix services, and the amazing people running them, to DPK is a perfect fit for all involved,” states James Heiser, President and CEO of DPK Consulting, an Edison, NJ based land surveying and 3D scanning services provider. “Our combined services are extremely complimentary and together expand our offering to customers across several markets. Bringing sUAS solutions enables us to greatly increase our value to current customers while approaching new markets that will benefit from these advanced technologies,” Mr. Heiser continues. “We have exciting plans for growing drone-based services, such as photographic and video inspection, 3D modeling, infrared and multispectral scanning. These innovative technologies represent unequaled efficiencies for our customers who develop land, investigate and remediate environmentally impacted properties, as well as owners of large-scale systems such as water supply, solar fields, Petro-chemical terminals,” concludes Mr. Heiser.

DPK Consulting and Geomatix are not new acquaintances. In fact, the firms have worked together successfully for years. “We felt fortunate that the timing and alignment of this deal was just right,” states Geomatix co-founder and CEO Chris French. “DPK is a leader in the northeast region in the environmental, engineering and construction markets and well respected by their customers for the quality of their work and commitment to continuous improvement. Their growth initiatives and operational methodologies are very synergistic with ours ensuring that Geomatix customers will benefit greatly from our merged capabilities. DPK leadership is also very entrepreneurial. They share a common vision and enthusiasm for these disruptive and enabling technologies and how they can redefine traditional processes and measurably expand value,” concludes Mr. French.

Two high-level Geomatix executives will be new members of DPK’s leadership team. Chris French will be DPK’s Director of Geomatics and Remote Sensing. Chris brings with him a wealth of high-level environmental expertise and has worked with many of the leading environmental consulting and engineering firms in the country. Geomatix co-founder Tom Gregory will run the sUAS division as Director of Drone Services. Tom has many years of experience in the construction and survey industry and is a certified drone pilot.

“We are thrilled to have these top professionals and game-changing services at DPK,” says Ray Hyman, DPK’s COO. “Having this depth of expertise and creativity lead our service divisions while elevating our capabilities in segments we already thrive in is incredible,” Mr. Hyman adds. “In addition to Chris and Tom, we also welcome our new Director of Surveys Joseph Messina. Joseph is a professional land surveyor and recipient of 4 ACEC Excellence in Engineering awards which he earned for the Eastside Access Project, 2nd Avenue Subway Project and Bayonne Bridge Replacement. Joseph will surely help DPK grow and solidifies an important seat on our leadership team,” concludes Mr. Hyman.

The companies will combine their operations effective immediately and will be relocating to DPK’s new headquarters in Edison, NJ on December 1st.

For more information about DPK, its services, its people and career opportunities, call 732-764-0100 and ask for Ray Hyman.

Navigating Culture Change, Part 2: The Role of Leadership and Employees
– James Heiser, P.L.S., President and CEO of DPK

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Although the vision typically comes from leadership, the vision itself should focus on the success and strength of the organization. If this vision isn’t communicated clearly, the rest of the organization could be left to interpret and develop their own vision, which could end up being much different.

Introduction

In Part 1 of this series, I discussed how changing culture begins with understanding the true definition of culture, assessing your company’s existing culture, and creating a vision for what you want your company culture to be.

The part of culture that we see every day – processes, policies, and behaviors – is just the tip of the iceberg. These visible components can sometimes be changed and communicated relatively quickly.

The much larger part of culture that exists beneath the surface – values, beliefs, perceptions, aspirations, stories, and feelings – ultimately determines how things get done across the organization.

These much deeper, often hidden components of culture take time to understand. Getting people to move in the same direction with purpose and cohesiveness is an ongoing process. This is essential, however, to shaping and implementing a new culture.

The unfortunate reality is that about seven in 10 change initiatives fail due to negative employee attitudes and unproductive management behaviors. Employees don’t support the vision, while leadership fails to make a strong enough case for change, anticipate and deal with resistance, and involve employees who can increase the likelihood of success.

Change most often fails when there is no clear and compelling case for the change – as leaders, we must provide tangible examples and enough disconfirming data for employees to understand the reason for the change and to potentially get their buy-in. Without it, change is doomed from the start.

The key is to understand the roles both leaders and employees play in overcoming challenges and enable positive change.

How Leaders Drive Culture Change

Although the vision typically comes from leadership, the vision itself should focus on the success and strength of the organization. If this vision isn’t communicated clearly, the rest of the organization could be left to interpret and develop their own vision, which could end up being much different.

During my first five years as CEO of DPK Consulting, most of our people were conditioned by a culture of being told what to do. They always relied on someone else to tell them what button to push. These old habits are hard to break.

My vision for DPK focuses on why the button should be pushed. When you understand the reason behind something and what it enables us to accomplish as a company, nobody will have to tell you to push the button. The difference is a culture that promotes personal empowerment, professional growth, and continuous improvement operationally.

I knew I needed to lay out my vision, model the behaviors I wanted my team to adopt, and encourage the team to be a part of this vision.

Leadership must not only have a vision and work to implement that vision, but also constantly communicate the vision to get people to buy into it. You can never take your foot off the pedal. For the past five years, I’ve kept a sticky note on my desk that reminds me of my responsibilities as the leader and CEO of DPK:

  • Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team
  • Create organizational clarity
  • Over-communicate organizational clarity
  • Reinforce organizational clarity through human systems

When leadership provides clarity, the deeper, unseen parts of the company culture mentioned previously become more visible. Cohesiveness across the organization starts to build, and the vision you’re trying to build comes into focus.

How Employees Impact Cultural Change and Why They Resist

A few years ago, we launched a swag initiative. We gave out branded DPK shirts and promotional items to the entire team every quarter. One of the reasons for this initiative was to see how excited and proud people were to be part of DPK.

To be clear, I’m not saying the success of culture change is measured by how many people show off their company swag. The larger point is that everyone must believe in the vision. Everyone must care about the company. They should be enthusiastic about doing the best possible work. They need to support and care about each other and our customers.

At DPK, we have many different players involved with each project, from managers and coordinators to draftsmen and field personnel. They’re rarely in the same room, but when everyone is on the same page with regards to both day-to-day tasks and the big picture vision, you build accountability, enable better decision making, and create a more cohesive operation.

Unfortunately, some people will resist change. They might feel it’s unnecessary. They could be afraid change will make their job harder. They often fear the change or do not see the reason for it. They might have different beliefs and values. Regardless of the reason, resistance to change will typically lower the ceiling for success for both the individual and the organization.

The fact is that some employees positively impact cultural change by leaving. Those who don’t support the culture and leave the company are no longer obstacles to progress. It’s best for both sides. Those who believe in the culture and vision will stay and work together as a team.

At DPK, changing the culture at all levels of the organization has taken years. We’ve faced our share of obstacles but persevered and ended up in a much better place. In Part 3 of this series on navigating culture change, I’ll discuss the steps involved in changing organizational culture and building a high-performance team that supports the culture.