SESSION 15 | ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE; PROs AND CONs

Organizational culture played key roles in two events of the 20th century, separated by 21 years. Watch both videos

"... the mechanism by which intelligence "signals" are sorted from background "noise" are neither uniform, entirely rational or random, but are instead functions of the culture and identity of the analytic unit"

1941

1962

back to top

Two classic studies of the role of organizational culture in decision making

Read part of Roberta Wohlstetter's take on 1941

Wohlstetter, R. (1962). Pearl Harbor; warning and decision. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press
read pages vii-ix and 382-401

Read part of Graham Allison's take on 1962

Allison, G. T. (1971). Essence of decision: Explaining the Cuban missile crisis. Boston: Little, Brown
read pages v-viii;
skim pages 10-38, 87-100, 144-184;
read pages 243-263; and
skim pages 264-277

back to top

You don't have to read these unless you wish to, but we might touch upon them in conversation

Zabecki.D.T. (2018). The US 2nd Division at Blanc Mont Ridge. Stand To! Magazine

This is an article written by one of the fellows I accompanied in France in September 2018. Read the article while thinking about the impact of organizational culture, in both the French and American armies, in 1918.

back to top

things we'll talk about

• using Wohlstetter and Allison as examples, we'll reflect on the benefits and disadvantages of organizational culture
• why is an organizational culture necessary?
• does it help organizations orient their goals and prioritize?
• does it make organizations vulnerable to stagnation?
• think of companies and organizations that refused to change their organizational culture and suffered as a result

back to top