2. What Is Corporate Culture?

People in groups form social patterns that we observe in their everyday interactions. These patterns include shared values, feelings, beliefs, rituals, habits, and codes of conduct. We use the word "culture" to describe all these patterns, i.e., the social attributes that are widely adopted throughout a group of people.

Culture occurs in many different kinds of groups: families, clubs, towns, nations, religions, and ethnicities.

"Culture is the set of beliefs and behaviors that are widely adopted throughout an organization."

Dean Meyer

Organizations are no exception. There are social patterns in the business environment that become ingrained over time. These beliefs and habits make up the culture of an organization.

Corporations have predominant cultures. Within corporations, organizations (divisions, departments, groups) take on their own sub-cultures.

In fact, it's quite appropriate to tailor the sub-culture to individual organizations. One would expect the culture in a research department to be quite different from the culture in a factory or in a sales force. As long as staff don't violate the norms of the greater corporate culture, each organization should carve out its own culture, one conducive to its unique mission.

Culture applies to everyone in the organization. It includes those things everyone has in common. It excludes practices which are specific to a single profession or business process, such as specific methods or technical jargon.

Culture is an ever-present force that guides people as they decide how to react to events around them, and how to behave in their work.

Most simply stated, organizational culture is "the way we all work around here."