The High Performance Organization

2  ___________________________________

Building culture

Introduction

What makes seemingly similar firms in similar markets with similar products and brands nevertheless different? What is going to make them stand out? What makes sophisticated, high performing companies, trusted and invested in by the market, suddenly lose the market's confidence? What makes the difference is the way those organizations operate – what is valued, encouraged or tolerated. In other words, ‘culture’ counts. Interest in the role played by organizational culture in business success has been growing since the 1980s. In this chapter we shall explore what theorists commonly define as organizational culture and look at how cultures form. We shall then examine the debate ...