Case Study Summary

The challenge

The BBC has long operated under intense public scrutiny, but renewed allegations of inappropriate behaviour prompted the new Chair, Samir Shah, to commission an independent review of workplace culture. Our objective was to understand staff and freelancer experiences, rebuild internal trust, and address concerns around misconduct, leadership accountability, and the confidence to speak up.

What we did

Change Associates conducted a wide-ranging engagement involving 2,580 individuals. We used interviews, group discussions, anonymous surveys, and collaboration with unions and industry bodies. Our dual-track model combined confidential listening with proactive data analysis and direct observation in operational environments like live newsrooms.

We tested emerging insights through facilitated workshops and developed six interdependent recommendations, including resetting behavioural standards for everyone working for the BBC, a campaign to encourage people to call out inappropriate behaviour, a new independent Respond Team, and targeted investment in leadership development.

The result

All six recommendations were accepted by the BBC, with a public commitment to implementation. Practical changes began immediately, such as establishing the Respond Team and improving tracking of culture metrics. The review has been widely praised for its clarity, independence, and practical focus.

“A really great piece of work… what it showed was that you have to have somewhere that is the go-to place where a person can take their concern or their complaint or draw attention to behaviour that is really undermining of staff.”
Baroness Helena Kennedy KC