Cultural Drift: How Leaders Re-anchor Teams During Change

Culture is not built once. It evolves with every conversation, decision, and transition. During periods of change, even the most established cultures begin to drift, not by intention, but by the forces change brings.

When strategies shift or new systems arrive, group cultures and organisational cultures adapt in subtle ways. This is because, as humans, we are a resilient lot: we learn and we adapt. It is during these times that assumptions are tested and perceptions change. Priorities shift. The language of “how we do things here” begins to bend. As leaders, our challenge is not to prevent drift but to re-anchor meaning as it moves, steering the ship towards the North Star (the direction we are all headed as a collective).

The Nature of Cultural Drift

Edgar Schein described organisational culture as a pattern of shared assumptions that guide behaviour. These assumptions form subtly over time through moments of success, conflict, and adaptation.

But when environments change faster than these assumptions can adjust, a gap appears. This is cultural drift: when the lived reality of a team no longer aligns with the values and intentions that once held it together.

Leaders who sense this drift early can guide teams back to coherence before confusion hardens into disconnection.

Making Sense of Change

Karl Weick’s theory of sensemaking offers a critical lens for this work. Leaders are, above all, interpreters of change. They help teams understand what is shifting, why it matters, and how to respond with integrity.

Sensemaking is not about offering certainty. Instead, it is about creating shared understanding. When leaders narrate the “why” behind new directions, they help people reconnect meaningfully with the evolving culture rather than feeling left behind by it.

In uncertain times, people don’t just need a plan. They need a story that restores coherence.

The Emotional Work of Re-anchoring

Daniel Goleman’s research on emotional intelligence reminds us that re-anchoring culture is as emotional as it is strategic. Leaders must be attuned to the fears, fatigue, and hopes that accompany change. This calls for empathy.

Empathy is far from avoiding discomfort. It requires us to acknowledge the tension discomfort brings, listen deeply with genuineness, name the discord without judgment, and model openness to turn disruption into dialogue.

It is at the heart of genuine empathy that trust is built and rebuilt. 

Reflection as Cultural Alignment

Culture drifts subtly. Hence, alignment must be intentional, and reflection provides the structure for this work.

Leaders can build reflection into their team rhythms through practices such as:

• Regularly revisiting team values and discussing what they mean in practice.
• Encouraging feedback on whether current actions align with stated principles.
• Using journaling or retrospectives to notice what feels “off” and where energy has shifted.

These moments are less about correction and more about connection. They remind the team of who they are becoming together.

Re-anchoring Through Presence

Cultural re-anchoring doesn’t happen through slogans or initiatives. It happens through consistent behaviour.

When leaders embody clarity, humility, and emotional steadiness, they model the culture they wish to sustain. Teams take their cues not from directives, but from modelled behaviours.

Rebuilding alignment, then, begins not with communication plans, but with self-awareness.

Closing Thought

Culture is not static. It drifts, shifts, and renews. The work of a leader is not to resist this movement, but to guide it back to meaning time and again.

Follow Within Pages™for more reflections on culture, leadership, and alignment, or visit
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About the Author

Alicia Hue is the founder of Within Pages™, a series of professional and leadership development frameworks in journal form. Educated in electronics engineering and holding a Global Master of Business Administration (GMBA) from Macquarie University, she brings extensive first-hand leadership experience from Microsoft, where she drove sales strategy and served as a branch lead for culture, diversity, and inclusion, as well as the Asians Employee Resource Group (ERG). Alicia now designs frameworks that transform reflection into practical, enduring growth for leaders and professionals worldwide.