CORPORATE CULTURE

In an organization the hardware (strategy and structure) is inert without the software (beliefs and behaviors)
Core values, beliefs, and business principles Ethical standards Operating practices and behaviors defining how we do things around here Approach to people management Chemistry and personality permeating work environment

Where Does Corporate Culture Come From?

Founder or early leader Influential individual or work group Policies, vision, or strategies Operating approaches Companys approach to people management Traditions, supervisory practices, employee attitudes Organizational politics Relationships with stakeholders

Forces that evolve CULTURE

Leadership change Diversification Globalization Rapid growth New recruits Merger / Acquisition

Focused Culture - Amazon

Be innovative by focusing on what customers want, not competition Instead of focusing on what their competition is doing, they focus solely on what the customer wants.

It helped them to avoid an attitude of complacency and follow an attitude of continual improvement

Open-mindedness
IBM, P&G, Enron, Kodak, GE, all are companies that struggled to adapt to change until it was too late. Each of these had developed a culture based initially in success that drowned out open-mindedness to change or new ways of doing things Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay explained culture at eBay as:

a no penalty culture, meaning that there is no penalty for being on the wrong side of an issue or changing your mind in the face of better information. If you come to a meeting with one point of view and a colleague says something that convinces you that youre wrong, the culture is to say, OK-thats smart. Youre right. Lets move on.

Open Communication (Top to Down) - GE

CEO Jack Welch attempted to create a culture based on speed, simplicity, and self confidence To do this they implemented a forum where employees could not only speak their minds about how business might be run more effectively, but also get immediate responses to their ideas and proposals Within only a few years over 200,000 employees had participated GE was able to adopt new practices and communicate new goals/strategies to all employees in order to change to compete properly.

Open Communication (Top to Down) - GE

CEO Jack Welch attempted to create a culture based on speed, simplicity, and self confidence To do this they implemented a forum where employees could not only speak their minds about how business might be run more effectively, but also get immediate responses to their ideas and proposals Within only a few years over 200,000 employees had participated GE was able to adopt new practices and communicate new goals/strategies to all employees in order to change to compete properly.

Work Network

Social Network

Career Advice Network