Culture Change Refined and Revitalized: The Road Show and Guides for Pragmatic Action

Despite a declining interest in the relationship between leadership, culture, and performance in the scholarly literature, culture change is alive and well among leaders in the public sector as a means to improve performance. This essay reviews the trajectory of culture studies and proposes a modest model of organizational culture that sets aside many of the conceptual and methodological arguments about culture, focusing instead on what leaders actually do to change culture. The model is examined in the context of organizational culture change efforts in the city of Alexandria, Virginia. Several practical and theoretical insights are offered from this pragmatic and leadership‐focused approach to culture.