Information Management for Organizational Effectiveness
Wednesday, 01 Oct 2025 | Organizational culture
Organizational culture is a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs ...
... which governs how people behave within organizations
What makes us want to be part of an outfit?
What makes us feel good about our work? | Dan Ariely
Why we might need an organizational culture
While there is universal agreement that (1) it exists, and (2) that it plays a crucial role in shaping behavior in organizations, there is little consensus on what organizational culture actually is, never mind how it influences behavior and whether it is something leaders can change.
- What Is Organizational Culture? And Why Should We Care? | Michael D. Watkins
One last source of corporate stupidity we came across was company culture. Often, these cultures imprison employees in narrow ways of viewing the world ... As they rose through the ranks, these ambitious young consultants realised that what was most important was not coming up with a well-thought-through solution. It was keeping clients happy with impressive PowerPoint shows. Those who did insist on carefully thinking through their client's problems often found their ideas unwelcome. If they persisted in using their brains, they were often politely told that the office might not be the place for them.
- Stupefied - How organisations enshrine collective stupidity and employees are rewarded for checking their brains at the office door by André Spicer, Aeon Magazine, 27 September 2016
Here are some common characteristics of cults. They have hierarchical structures. They prize charismatic leaders and expect loyalty. They see the world as a hostile place. They have their own jargon, rituals and beliefs. They have a sense of mission. T hey are stuffed with weirdos. If this sounds a bit familiar, that is because companies share so many of these traits.
You don't have to read these unless you wish to ...
... but we might touch upon them in conversation
What is culture ? This is the definition Schein gives :
A pattern of shared basic assumptions learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration (…) A product of joint learning.