Skip to main content

emh behaviour change culture

Services: Behaviour change/Culture/Design and digital/Video and Film
Back

Embedding “What Matters” – a behaviour change culture project for emh

With new professional conduct standards coming into force, emh wanted to clearly define and evidence expected behaviours across the organisation. These needed to link to their values, and focus on the customer’s needs as part of a wider drive to further improve customer experience across every interaction.

At the same time, increasing pressure on housing services meant colleagues needed clarity on boundaries, consistency in customer interactions, and support to manage complex situations.

The challenge was to capture and embed an existing positive culture in a way that was practical, visible and sustainable.

The approach

We worked with data from more than 1,000 customers and colleagues to understand what drives positive experiences, shaping a framework grounded in real insight.

This led to the creation of the What Matters Framework, built around four core behaviours:

  • Listen to Learn
  • Acknowledge with Respect
  • Resolve with Care
  • Act with Consideration

Supported by four tone principles – Calm, Polite, Positive and Friendly – the framework defined both what people do and how they do it. There is a clear link back to the research; evidencing how the customer voice has meaningfully impacted the behaviours.

Bringing it to life

We delivered a multi-channel behaviour change programme to embed the framework across the organisation:

  • Campaign rollout including posters, wall murals, branding and a launch video
  • Manager toolkits and coaching guides to support behaviour-led conversations
  • Integration into induction, performance and talent processes
  • Practical case studies and examples to demonstrate behaviours in action
  • Ongoing communications and engagement materials.

This ensured the framework was not just communicated, but actively embedded in day-to-day work.

Behaviour change insight

The success of the programme was driven by making behaviours simple, visible and repeatable.

Rather than introducing abstract values, the framework translated existing culture into clear, actionable behaviours supported by real examples and practical tools. By embedding these behaviours into everyday environments, conversations and systems, colleagues were consistently prompted and supported to apply them in real situations.

This approach reinforced habits over time, helping behaviours become part of “how things are done,” rather than a one-off initiative.

“We had ambitious timescales for developing a behaviour framework based on customers’ feedback. The Creative Bridge team pulled out all the stops to support us, using their talents to help craft our ‘What Matters’ Framework and produce some great imagery, branding and a launch video. We’ve now introduced the framework to colleagues across our business, and it’s been very well received. Thanks for your support, flexibility and expertise – it’s been great working with you on this project.”
Lynne Swinson Head of Learning and Development, emh

The impact

The programme translated values into clear, observable behaviours that colleagues could consistently apply.

As a result, emh is now better equipped to:

  • Demonstrate alignment with professional conduct standards
  • Support staff in managing boundaries and challenging interactions
  • Deliver more consistent, empathetic customer experiences
  • Strengthen a shared culture across the organisation.