Normally you can interact many different cultures. Everyone agrees that culture is the hardest thing to change, whether ethics in the financial system or the eating habits of individuals. That's because change is not a decision like appointing a new CEO, nor is it an event like winning an election. If somebody wants some changes then he must keep in mind that change is an ongoing campaign.
Even in a hierarchy, top officials can declare a new policy or restructure by fiat, but they can't change behavior without a campaign to win hearts and minds. If culture change is difficult within a company, it is even harder in looser systems such as communities and countries. In his book, All Deliberate Speed, Charles Ogletree examines the 50 years after the Supreme Court passed Brown v. Board of Education ordering the desegregation of U.S. public schools; yet decades later schools remain de facto segregated. If laws don't produce change, then leaders must become adept at campaigns to change behavior.
The best campaigns for change have five elements:
Campaigns, like brand marketing, start with a clear, succinct, easy to repeat, emotionally compelling message. The designated driver campaign, spearheaded by Jay Winsten at the Harvard School of Public Health 21 years ago, reduced fatalities from drunk driving by 25% in its first four years alone using the slogan "The designated driver is the life of the party." The message plays off of "life of the party" to signify that the party will be fun, while reminding people that "life" depends on a driver who doesn't drink. Similarly, playful yet compelling images animate Dr. Hugo Tempelman's campaign to stop HIV/AIDS in South Africa. The campaign features billboards with a cartoon condom and slogans accompanied by a soccer ball that start with the line "Men with balls..." and complete the sentence with safe sex behavior.
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