As a starting point in a culture alignment journey, it is helpful to have a common definition and understanding of organizational culture and how it affects individual members of an organization and the success of the organization itself. We define organizational culture as
a set of shared and many times unwritten and unquestioned beliefs and rules of behavior that a group develops over time to help them succeed in their internal and external workThese beliefs and rules drive the everyday behaviors and practices of members of the group. In simpler words, culture explains “why we do things the way we do around here,” and it is built upon an organization’s collective success in responding to its outside environment.
The importance of understanding culture is that it helps to explain why behaviors and practices occur. It also gives individuals tools, as a member of an organization and as a manager or leader, to manage their culture to optimally achieve personal and business objectives. Culture is critical in determining what can and cannot flourish in an organization.
Our work is based on the conceptual frameworks of:
Dr. Edgar H. Schein
Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas
Seminal research conducted at The American Institute for Managing Diversity
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