Reference #486: Organizational Culture and Leadership
Leaders in early-stage organisations can affect culture change by systematically promoting insiders whose core assumptions align better with the culture the leadership is trying to move towards than the status quo.
These insiders accept and understand much of the existing culture and possess credibility. Yet their background and experiences allow them to shift gradually how the organisation thinks and acts. Others may feel that "we don't like what she is doing to change the place, but at least she is one of us".
For example, as the centre of innovation in the computer industry shifted from hardware to software, many companies achieved a corrective shift in their culture by promoting software-oriented managers.
Schein. Organizational Culture and Leadership, 2017. (236-237)