New Inspiring Change Report Reveals Culture Challenges Threatening Organisational Performance

Insights from CPOs highlight culture gaps in leadership, management, growth, accountability, and hybrid work connections.

DUBLIN, IRELAND, October 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Inspiring Change, a Dublin-based consultancy helping organizations build better cultures, today announced the release of its new research report exploring the biggest challenges facing Chief People Officers (CPOs) in aligning workplace culture with organisational performance.

Drawing on extensive cross-sector experience and in-depth interviews with CPOs conducted earlier this year, the report distills candid feedback into five overarching cultural challenges that are slowing organisational progress

Each theme highlights practical steps for leaders and HR executives who want to close the gap between good intentions and everyday reality.

Five Cultural Challenges Identified by CPOs:

Leadership Skill & Will – Many executives lack the agility, empathy, and alignment to lead culture from the top. Without visible buy-in from CEOs and senior teams, culture efforts often falter or fail.

The Manager Factor – Middle managers, often described as “Chief Sense Makers,” heavily shape day-to-day employee experience, yet many avoid difficult conversations on accountability and lack adequate training.

Skills for Today and Tomorrow – Employees across generations want growth, but organisations struggle to provide meaningful development beyond promotions, creating disengagement and retention risks.

Accountability for Values – Values like integrity and teamwork lose credibility without accountability. CPOs report avoidance of developmental feedback, inconsistent standards, and the risk of values being “weaponised.”

Disconnection – Hybrid work and a multigenerational workforce have amplified feelings of isolation, uneven collaboration, and cultural fragmentation. Leaders must intentionally rebuild cohesion across teams.

The Mind the Gap report emphasizes that building culture is not a one-time project, but a continuous journey that requires consistency, leadership buy-in, and intentional alignment across all levels. When organisations get it right, the payoff is significant: lower turnover, stronger engagement, higher performance, and improved financial results.

Practical Steps for Leaders

Each challenge in the report is accompanied by actionable recommendations, such as embedding development into values, clarifying behavioural expectations, equipping managers with coaching skills, and designing intentional moments of connection in hybrid environments.

“Culture can’t just be a statement on a wall or a speech from the top; it has to be lived every day,” said Scott McInnes, founder of Inspiring Change. “Our research reveals where organisations fall short and, more importantly, how leaders can close the gap to build high-performing workplaces that truly reflect their values and ambitions.”

About Inspiring Change

Inspiring Change is a Dublin-based consultancy that, since 2017, has helped organisations shape culture, communicate change, and grow leaders to build better cultures. Working across Ireland, the UK, and beyond, Inspiring Change brings deep expertise to both private and public sector organisations, closing the culture-execution gap and improving performance.

Learn more and download the full Mind the Gap report at: www.inspiringchange.ie/mindthegap

Scott McInnes
Inspiring Change
353866050210
email us here

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