The Culture Puzzle

Corporate culture is critical to any organizational change effort; yet in a recent survey less than a third of executives said they understand theirs. This book offers a proven model for identifying and leveraging the essential elements of any culture. If you're going to make any significant change in an organization, you have to deal with the organizational culture. Because as Peter Drucker famously said, Culture eats strategy for breakfast. But there can be a big difference between the official culture as described in the company handbook and how work really gets done. This book, written by a unique team of two culture-change experts and a business anthropologist, is about solving this culture puzzle. The authors describe the four forces that shape every organization's--or, as they put it, every tribe's--culture, from hunter-gatherers in the Amazon to corporate executives at Amazon. Interest: what the organization does to fulfill members' needs and earn their loyalty. Habit: which behaviors and ideas constitute the way we do things around here. Vision: where the organization came from and where it's going; and Innovation: how the organization adapts and changes. The authors provide detailed advice and analytic tools for understanding and strengthening these four forces in your organization, and for using that understanding to more your organization forward.