Background 

Macmillan Cancer Support, one of the UK’s most respected cancer charities, wanted to sense check and evolve the culture of its Direct Services team. This department, which includes critical support services such as the Macmillan Support Line, nursing and online communities, had undergone rapid growth and a shift to remote working during the pandemic. These changes created a need to re-evaluate the team’s culture, ensuring alignment with Macmillan’s mission while addressing communication, leadership visibility and employee wellbeing issues.

To address these challenges, The Culture Club was engaged to conduct a comprehensive culture review. The review aimed to uncover employee sentiment, understand existing cultural dynamics, and develop a roadmap for sustained cultural evolution.

Approach 

The Culture Club took a creative, employee-centred approach to the culture review to live and breathe their daily experience. This began with a kick-off session involving senior leaders to define key objectives and address any assumptions about the culture. The team then introduced a unique data collection method through Culture Journals.

With journaling gaining traction in personal lives over the past decade, the organisation selected 15 Culture Guides to represent different areas of the Direct Services team. These Culture Guides completed reflective activities over four weeks, using a journal that encouraged deep engagement. The activities were framed around key areas such as workspace, relationships with managers, personal development and company culture.

“A creative approach including journaling​,​ improved leadership visibility and communication, driving a more engaged and aligned workforce”

The journals were supplemented by traditional research methods, including an employee engagement survey (125 responses), focus groups (110 participants) and one-on-one interviews with six senior leaders. This combination of qualitative and quantitative data allowed for a well-rounded understanding of the current culture.

The Culture Club used Atlas AI to anonymise and analyse the data, codifying insights and identifying key themes. These findings were validated in a series of workshops with 87 colleagues, ensuring that the results resonated with employees’ lived experiences.

Outcomes

The culture review revealed significant insights into the needs of the Direct Services team. Key results included 91% of employees agreeing that the findings reflected their experience of a “good or bad day” at work and 81% confirming​ ​​ ​the findings accurately represented their relationship with their managers. The review led to five strategic recommendations, including clarifying the team’s identity and improving communication and leadership visibility.

Macmillan Cancer Support has since begun implementing the plan, focusing on clarifying the Direct Services’ identity and introducing ‘No Change Zones’ to alleviate constant pressure on employees. It also launched a Digital HQ for remote teams, an initiative that has been adopted by the wider organisation. The cultural transformation has already begun to yield positive results, enhancing both employee engagement and operational efficiency.