Beyond Badges: What Real Culture Change Looks Like
The BBC has faced intense scrutiny over its workplace culture in recent years. From misconduct and racist language on MasterChef, to bullying and drug use on Strictly Come Dancing, and controversies involving high-profile figures like Huw Edwards—not to mention the legacy of Jimmy Savile—the organisation has been under pressure to reform.
In response, the BBC has launched initiatives aimed at improving its internal culture. It has said that it wants to ‘strengthen our workplace culture, following recommendations in an independent review’. You can read more about the review here. But what does meaningful change actually look like?
Culture Is More Than a Campaign
The BBC’s “Call It Out” campaign, featuring pin badges, mugs, and lanyards, has received mixed reactions. While these items are intended to keep the message visible and top-of-mind for staff, they risk being perceived as surface-level signalling if not backed by deeper, systemic change.
Stating that you want people to speak out when they see poor behaviour doesn’t mean that your people will feel able to do so. This outward messaging isn’t worth much if there hasn’t been sufficient work to ensure that people hear and feel that they are part of the culture and part of maintaining cultural change.
Culture is how people behave when they aren’t being watched.
It’s the norms, values, and everyday actions that define an organisation.
Leadership Is Key
The Culture Secretary has pointed to a “problem of leadership”—and rightly so. Leaders shape culture. If the same individuals who oversaw previous issues remain in place, it’s difficult for staff to trust that real change is underway.
Our position
the independent reviewers did make some good suggestions such as relaunching policy, defining organisational values and working to build trust. However, we would add that effective culture change requires:
Visible leadership accountability and modelling of inclusive behaviours. Human beings don’t know what they don’t know and they have been able to get to their position having navigated systems and processes and social norms which can be hostile and exclusionary to many. It is likely that leaders do not understand what it is like to be minoritised, junior and new in their organisation. They need to learn this, and they need to keep learning about it.
Breaking down protective barriers around leadership that prevent honest feedback. Leaders also can be surrounded by people who protect them from the bad news. This next tier of people need to have a significant role and level of accountability for culture and candour.
Understanding the lived experiences of minoritised, junior, and new staff.
Avoiding sweeping statements like “The BBC does not have a toxic culture,” which risk invalidating real experiences. What is toxic for you may well be my version of paradise and vice versa. We can’t ignore that most of the people who have been exposed for their bad behaviour are male, therefore I would suggest that women might have a different view about what constitutes toxicity to their male colleagues.
From Slogans to Substance
You can’t invite people to “call it out” without planning for what happens next. The independent review made several recommendations, including:
Relaunching policies and defining organisational values.
Building trust through transparency and responsiveness.
Celebrating success and working with early adopters.
However, some suggestions—like creating dashboards, HR capability enhancements, and independent response teams—risk shifting responsibility away from individuals and leaders. Culture change requires personal accountability, self-reflection, and conflict resolution skills.
What Meaningful Follow-Up Looks Like
In our experience, the follow-up is where real change happens:
Teach staff how to have difficult conversations and speak truth to power.
Support leaders to listen actively and empathetically.
Implement a non-negotiable framework for follow-up that removes subjective judgment.
Link inclusion with safeguarding and psychological safety.
Set measurable goals using both qualitative and quantitative data.
Communicate consistently—what’s been done, what’s coming, and how people can engage.
Final Thoughts
Phrases like “zero tolerance” and “call it out” won’t change your culture on their own. Culture is shaped by your policies, systems, processes, and everyday practices. Instead of spending money on trinkets, invest in time, training, and tools that support lasting change.
🔗 Read more about the BBC’s review
🔗 Sky News coverage of the campaign
🔗Why it is vital that executive leaders are part of any inclusion initiative
🔗EDI: Facilitating difficult conversations