Examining Corporate Culture August 2007 In this issue: Organizational Culture: Enabling Strategy Execution Seven Reasons Organizational Culture Matters Creating a “Corporate” Culture of Service Excellence Organizational Culture Change: Is It Really Worth the Effort? Central Eastern Europe: Evolution of Corporate Culture
In this month’s newsletter, we talk about Corporate Culture, but before addressing how to change your culture or understanding the role your company’s culture plays in achieving organizational goals, you first need to know what your current corporate culture is.  It may seem obvious to you, but then again, does everyone at all levels of the organization share your opinion? Most would agree that culture strongly affects how an organization functions and that it has an impact on profitability. The question is “How can we best identify, evaluate and improve our culture so that it works to strengthen the corporate strategy?” You may want to consider conducting a culture audit .  The results of such an audit can help you to better define, confirm, and therefore address any internal problems that are contributing factors in preventing your organization from achieving its goals.  For example, an organization culture audit can be used to help determine the various degrees of constructive versus aggressive, defensive or passive styles of leadership that exist. It can help you get a better feel for the type of success barriers that stem from perhaps poor leadership or poor union relationships.  In the article “Organizational Culture: Enabling Strategy Execution”, corporate culture is defined as the collective behavioral norms and values of your employee population. Are the behaviors and values of your employee population helpful/productive? An effective way to identify the critical values and assumptions shared in a company is to conduct a culture audit. Regardless of how you use the audit, it will give fascinating insights into the way your company works. For more information on corporate culture audits and the audit process, please contact E. K. Ward & Associates, an OI Partner at 716.626.1188.	Culture is the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of (generally unspoken and unwritten) rules for working together. Why the recently renewed interest in the concept of Corporate Culture?  Likely because it is recognized that aligning organizational culture to strategy has a significant potential influence on productivity.  Our authors offer their perspectives as they define and explore various dimensions of corporate culture and suggest approaches that could enhance your competitive advantage. Anne Mahoney Glose VP, Principal E. K. Ward & Associates, Inc Organizational Culture: Enabling Strategy Execution Executives need to understand the role culture plays in the execution of strategy. Here are 15 points that must be considered when it comes to culture. Seven Reasons Organizational Culture Matters There are many bottom-line business reasons to focus on and build organizational culture. Here are 7 of those reasons. Creating a "Corporate" Culture of Service Excellence Often, the company mission statement is not how things are really done in a company’s day-to-day operations. Therefore, there are 6 principles that are vital to creating and sustaining a culture of service excellence. Organizational Culture Change: Is It Really Worth the Effort? Attempting to change organizational culture can lead to enormous frustration. Here are 6 reasons for organizational culture’s stubborn resistance to change -- and hints for effective change agents. Central Eastern Europe: Evolution of Corporate Culture The concept of corporate culture brings to mind certain binding values and rules of behavior. Central Eastern Europe is an interesting region to discuss in this context because of the fairly recent transition from a planned to market economy.

E. K. Ward & Associates 4455 Transit Road, Suite 3B Williamsville, NY 14221 USA We respect your right to privacy - view our policy
Manage Subscriptions | Update Profile | One-Click Unsubscribe