The Corporate Culture Survival Guide: Sense and Nonsense About Culture Chan Upplaga 1

Corporate culture, once an ivory–tower topic for business scholars and sociologists, has become an issue of vital concern to managers, executives, and consultants on the front lines of change. Why? Because the increasing number of mergers, acquisitions, and reengineerings happening today have put corporate cultures on a collision course, and managers who want to integrate must first understand the complex mix of behaviors, values, and shared assumptions that underlie the way organizations operate. While most managers are familiar with the concept of corporate culture, many lack a complete understanding of what it is, how it operates, and what they can do to improve it. Edgar Schein, a pioneer in the study of corporate cultures and the field's reigning expert, has helped thousands of scholars and change agents grasp the cultural dynamics at work in today's companies. Now he makes his extensive experience and expert advice available to managers everywhere in this engaging guide. Framing his chapters around the questions managers most often ask—What is corporate culture? How can I assess it? How can I change it?—Schein defines in plain terms the ingredients of corporate culture and explains how they influence the way people do their jobs. He gives readers clear guidance for evaluating their organization's current culture and determining whether it continues to be the best fit for its people, goals, and products. He also provides practical advice for effecting culture change in companies of all kinds in a format that anyone can readily understand and follow. Although companies may understand which aspect of their operation they need to alter in order to stay competitive, their attempts often fail when they try to impose new systems onto old modus operandi. The Corporate Culture Survival Guide gives change leaders the tools they need to work with the culture they have in order to get the results they want.