Why should I be concerned about my corporate culture?

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If you want to maximize your company’s ability to reach strategic goals, you must determine whether the prevailing culture is driving it in that direction. Developing a picture of your ideal culture and then taking a hard look at whether it matches reality enables you to take steps toward eliminating any disconnect and bringing your corporate culture into line. Furthermore, if your competitive environment is changing rapidly, your culture also needs to adjust.

Growth is another important reason for assessing corporate culture. Growing corporations must hire a large number of new employees, and if those new hires are out of step with the culture, both those individuals and the organization will suffer.

It’s no secret that today the rate of change in most industries is higher than ever. Organizations that adapt to the changing environment effectively will thrive while those that cannot will languish. Jim Collins and Jerry Porris, in their book Built to Last, have demonstrated that while enduring companies are built on a foundation of core values, they also adapt their behavioral practices, secondary values, structures, and other cultural elements. The secret to a company that will last is its ability to manage both continuity and change. Getting a reading of the current culture can enable a company to bring culture and goals into alignment and move forward toward an ideal.



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