P2P

P E E R T O P E E R M A G A Z I N E · W I N T E R 2 0 2 5 13 Be patient. You can deploy a system in months. Cultural transformation takes years. Organizations that succeed maintain a consistent focus over extended periods. The work isn't exciting, but persistent effort moves the needle. People who initially resisted start complying, often without even realizing they've changed. Compliance becomes a habit. Habits become norms. Norms become culture. CONCLUSION Information governance fails in most organizations not because of inadequate policies or insufficient technology, but because of a cultural mismatch. Policies that conflict with deeply held cultural values will be ignored. Culture is stronger than policy every single time. You cannot impose governance on a resistant culture. You must transform the culture so governance becomes culturally congruent. This requires understanding the specific characteristics of legal culture — the autonomy imperative, partnership dynamics, client service orientation, and billable-hour pressure. It requires abandoning approaches that treat governance primarily as technical and adopting strategies that address culture directly: connecting to existing values, leveraging influential partners, creating rituals, telling stories, aligning incentives, and designing for real humans. The work is challenging and slow. But it's the only work that produces lasting change. Organizations that invest in cultural transformation create governance that sticks because it makes sense, aligns with their professional identity, and helps them do excellent work. The question isn't whether anyone follows your information governance policy. The question is whether you've created a culture where following that policy feels professionally natural, aligned with core values, and worthy of the excellent professionals you've hired. Answer that question first. Really answer it honestly. Then the compliance question essentially takes care of itself. Information governance fails in most organizations not because of inadequate policies or insufficient technology, but because of a cultural mismatch.

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