MCP Workshop Part 2: Culture First - The Hidden Lever of Maintenance and Asset Management Excellence
The second part of MCP’s recent workshop in Reading took a step back from tools and tactics and focused instead on something far more foundational – organisational culture. While less participative than the morning session, it left many attendees thoughtful, nodding in recognition at shared challenges and quietly re-evaluating how their workplace culture might be influencing their results. Importantly, this isn’t just a ‘nice to have’ —ISO 55000 also recognises culture as a critical enabler of effective asset management, highlighting leadership and workplace environment as key determinants in delivering real, sustainable value.
Culture as the Soil
The session, led by Kevin Sullivan, framed culture as the “soil” in which all strategies, systems and tools must grow. No matter how advanced your CMMS, how detailed your maintenance plans, or how well-trained your team – if the culture isn’t right, performance will falter.
In the world of asset management, culture isn’t just a ‘soft’ concern. It’s a measurable business driver that influences reliability, safety, planning accuracy, digital adoption and cost control. Without a supportive environment – one where people feel safe, valued and engaged – continuous improvement initiatives rarely stick.
“The best strategy, systems, or training can’t take root in a toxic or misaligned culture.”
The Real Barriers to Improvement
We often think we’re held back by systems or budgets, but this session asked us to look deeper. Cultural dysfunctions were highlighted as the real root causes behind many persistent challenges:
Silos and turf wars between departments
A reliance on “We’ve always done it this way”
Micromanagement disguised as rigour
A lack of psychological safety, where people are afraid to speak up
The disconnect between planners and technicians
Each of these issues erodes trust, blocks communication and makes even the best improvement plans difficult to sustain.
Why People Don’t Change, Until It Feels Safe
One of the most resonant parts of the session explored the neuroscience of change. When people feel fear or uncertainty, their emotional brain takes over – and resistance increases. That’s why traditional “change management” so often fails: it pushes for compliance without first creating emotional safety.
If we want people to adopt new behaviours, we must first create environments that:
Celebrate contribution, not just output
Recognise and reward the right things
Encourage reflection over blame
Build trust between levels and teams
It’s not about softening expectations – it’s about making the right ones stick.
Culture Drives Results – In Every Area
The presentation demonstrated that culture underpins performance in every corner of maintenance and asset management:
Cost Reduction: sustainable savings only occur when the frontline takes ownership.
Planning and Budgeting: honesty in forecasts comes from trust and transparency.
Reliability: engagement drives attentiveness, which prevents failures.
Digital Systems: tools only succeed when teams believe in their value.
Safety: true safety comes from care and ownership, not checklists.
Even training ROI depends on culture, people retain and apply knowledge when they feel safe and supported.
Leadership, Language and Legacy
A recurring message was this: culture follows leadership. Leaders don’t shape culture through slogans, but through what they consistently do and say. The stories they tell, the behaviours they model and the language they use all set the tone.
Want more collaboration? Celebrate it. Want more initiative? Make people feel safe enough to show it. The words we choose, the rituals we uphold and the questions we ask every day all reinforce the culture we either want – or accidentally tolerate.
Words from Kevin:
“My main aim for this session was to hold a mirror up – not to criticise, but to invite reflection. If as business leaders, we want change to stick and become embedded, we must first make the environment feel safe. That begins with thoughtful leadership – not titles, but right behaviours, right language and consistency. Culture doesn’t shift by accident, it’s a choice we make - every day.”
Looking Ahead: Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
While this session may have had fewer interactive elements, its impact was profound. Attendees left not with a new tool but with a new perspective. And often, that’s what makes the real difference.
MCP will be continuing this important conversation in an upcoming webinar and mini-roadshow, where we’ll explore both the technical and cultural sides of maintenance and asset excellence.
Keep an eye on our website and social media for dates and registration details.
For further information, or to explore how MCP can support cultural transformation in your organisation, please get in touch with us.