Understanding Strategic Change Using the Cultural Web Framework

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Understanding Strategic Change Using the Cultural Web Framework

Introduction

Strategic change is rarely just about new plans or structures. In most organisations, the real challenge lies in changing how people think, behave, and make decisions on a daily basis. Culture shapes these behaviours, often in ways that managers do not immediately notice. Johnson, Scholes and Whittington’s cultural web framework, first introduced in 2008, offers a structured way to analyse organisational culture and understand how it can support or resist strategic change. This essay applies the cultural web framework to Tesco plc to demonstrate how it helps identify facilitators and barriers to strategic change. It also critically discusses the usefulness of the framework, supported by relevant academic literature, to assess its value as a strategic analysis tool.

The cultural web framework explained

The cultural web framework views organisational culture as a set of interconnected elements that reinforce shared assumptions, referred to as the paradigm. These elements include stories, symbols, power structures, organisational structures, control systems, and rituals and routines. Together, they explain why certain behaviours feel normal and others feel unacceptable within an organisation (Johnson et al., 2008). The framework is particularly useful in strategic change because it encourages managers to look beyond formal strategy and consider how deeply rooted cultural factors influence implementation.

Application of the cultural web to Tesco plc

Tesco plc provides a strong example of an organisation that has faced major strategic change. Following years of rapid expansion and a serious accounting scandal in 2014, Tesco was forced to rethink its strategy. The company shifted its focus towards rebuilding trust, improving operational efficiency, and reconnecting with customers. Applying the cultural web framework helps explain how Tesco’s culture both supported and constrained this shift.

Stories within Tesco played a key role in shaping employee attitudes. Before the crisis, stories often focused on growth, market dominance, and aggressive competition. Success was associated with scale and expansion. After the scandal, new stories emerged that emphasised learning from mistakes, ethical behaviour, and returning to core retail basics. These newer stories supported strategic change by signalling that past behaviours were no longer acceptable. However, older stories about winning through size and price still influenced thinking in parts of the organisation, creating resistance to more cautious and long term decision making.

Symbols also reflected Tesco’s cultural transition. Changes to store layouts, branding, and internal communication highlighted simplicity, value, and customer focus. Senior leaders reduced visible status symbols, which sent a message of accountability and humility. Despite this, financial performance indicators remained dominant symbols of success, reinforcing a results driven culture that sometimes conflicted with the slower process of rebuilding trust and employee engagement.

Power structures within Tesco changed significantly after new leadership was appointed. Decision making authority became less concentrated at the top, with greater responsibility given to store managers and regional leaders. This shift supported strategic change by enabling quicker responses to customer needs. However, informal power remained with long serving managers who were deeply embedded in the old culture. Their influence occasionally slowed the adoption of new ways of working, particularly where change challenged established habits.

Organisational structures were simplified to support the new strategy. Layers of management were removed, and reporting lines were clarified to improve accountability. While this structural change made the organisation more agile, it did not automatically change behaviour. In some cases, employees continued to act according to old priorities, demonstrating that structural change alone is insufficient without cultural alignment.

Control systems became more rigorous following the accounting scandal. Stronger financial controls, performance monitoring, and compliance measures were introduced to restore trust with stakeholders. These systems supported strategic change by reducing risk and improving transparency. At the same time, the heavy emphasis on targets and monitoring sometimes discouraged experimentation and learning, which are important for long term strategic development.

Rituals and routines at Tesco also reveal how culture influenced change. Increased engagement between senior leaders and frontline staff, such as regular store visits, reinforced the importance of customer experience. These routines supported the new strategic direction. However, long standing routines that prioritised short term sales targets during busy periods remained difficult to change and continued to undermine service quality in some stores.

At the centre of the cultural web, Tesco’s paradigm shifted from growth at all costs to trust, value, and operational discipline. The framework shows that while this shift was clearly articulated, not all cultural elements changed at the same pace. This uneven alignment helps explain why some aspects of Tesco’s strategic change were more successful than others.

Facilitators and barriers to strategic change

Using the cultural web framework highlights several facilitators of strategic change at Tesco, including new leadership narratives, redistributed power, simplified structures, and customer focused routines. At the same time, it exposes barriers such as deeply rooted assumptions, informal power networks, and control systems that reinforced old behaviours. The framework demonstrates that strategic change is more likely to succeed when cultural elements are addressed collectively rather than in isolation.

Critical discussion of the usefulness of the cultural web framework

One of the main strengths of the cultural web framework is its holistic nature. It moves beyond abstract values and connects culture to everyday organisational practices, making it easier for managers to identify sources of resistance to change (Johnson et al., 2008). Scholars such as Balogun and Johnson (2005) argue that understanding these micro level behaviours is essential for effective change management.

The framework is also practical and accessible. It provides a clear structure that can be applied across different organisational contexts, making it useful for both academics and practitioners. By linking culture directly to strategy, it helps bridge the gap between analysis and implementation.

However, the cultural web framework has limitations. It offers a largely static snapshot of culture and may oversimplify the dynamic and evolving nature of organisational life. Organisations often contain multiple subcultures, which the framework does not fully capture (Martin, 2002). Additionally, the framework relies heavily on subjective interpretation, meaning different analysts may reach different conclusions based on the same evidence.

Despite these limitations, the cultural web remains a valuable diagnostic tool when used alongside other approaches. It is particularly effective in highlighting hidden cultural barriers that traditional strategic analysis might overlook.