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86 SMT Magazine • February 2014 Third, leaders must model the kind of values and behaviors expected in the rest of the com- pany. Modeling will provide confirmation of be- havior expected and direction for whether the adjustments that are needed are significant or simply small tweaks. Key people in the organiza- tion, regardless of formal title, will be invaluable in communicating the new values. Dictating will not work. Instead, opt for being a catalyst for change and choosing other catalysts for change. Fourth, make appropriate changes to the organization systems, policies, procedures and rules to be in alignment with new values and desired culture. Create accountability systems, compensation, benefits and reward structures, and recruitment and retention programs to bet- ter align with the new values and to send a clear message to employees that the old system and culture are in the past. Fifth, connect culture to association. Re- cruit, train and when necessary, terminate in terms of fit with the new culture. Encourag- ing employee motivation and loyalty to the new company culture is essential and will also result in a healthier culture. Leaders will com- municate verbally and behaviorally the connec- tion between the desired behaviors and how it will impact and improve the company's success to further encourage employee buy-in in the change process. Training should be provided to all employees to understand the new processes, expectations and systems. Finally, evaluate the change process regu- larly and identify areas that need further de- velopment. Identify obstacles of change and resistant employees. Also acknowledge and re- ward employee improvement. Add leaders or consultants to facilitate the change process and provide training. Change is inevitable and suc- cess rides on execution of a well-defined change process. Creating a strong culture in your organiza- tion is well worth the investment. State-of-the- art products are more likely when the culture dictates behavior rather than relying solely on procedures. Employees are loyal, connected and self motivated based on cultural norms rather than a heavy hand or constant supervision. And in that environment positivity, fun, and con- tribution thrive and everyone wins. "We are in this together" is the mantra and state-of-the-art is the product. Culture drives success because it drives most inputs, which include state-of-the- art systems, the final topic in this five part series on state-of-the-art organizations. SMT Karla osorno is business develop- ment officer for EE Technologies, Inc., an EMS provider delivering complete engineering and manu- facturing services with locations in Nevada and Mexico. To read past columns or to contact osorno, click here. EVolUTIoNArY SolUTIoNS We are IN THIS TOGeTHer! continues A carbon nanotube sponge capable of soak- ing up water contaminants, such as fertilisers, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, more than three times more efficiently than previous ef- forts, has been developed and the results of the study published in Nanotechnology. The carbon nanotube (CNT) sponges, uniquely doped with sulphur, also demonstrat- ed a high capacity to absorb oil, opening up the possibility of using the material in oil spill clean-ups. CNTs are hollow cylindrical structures com- posed of a single sheet of carbon. owing to their structure, CNTs have extraordinary thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties that have led to an array of applications from body armour to solar panels.They have been touted as excel- lent candidates for wastewater clean-up. "Millimetre- or centimetre-scale CNTs, as we've synthesised in this study, float on water because of their porous structure and, once saturated with oil, can be easily removed. by simply squeezing them and releasing the oil, they can then be re-used," said lead author of the research, luca Camilli, from the University of roma. Carbon nanotube sponge shows Potential