Key MBA Models

9

Schein’s model of organisational culture

Every organisation has a culture – an unwritten set of norms and expectations about how people should behave. Cultures are hard to define and very hard to change, but they matter a lot because they shape behaviour and they influence who chooses to join and leave. Many attempts have been made to make sense of culture over the years. Ed Schein, a Professor at MIT, has put forward one of the most influential models.

When to use it

• To diagnose the culture where you work.
• To understand what sorts of behaviour are acceptable, and why.
• To help you make changes.

Origins

There is a long history of thinking about organisational culture, sometimes using the related concept of ‘organisation climate’.

Ed Schein ...