The Character of a Corporation: How Your Company's Culture Can Make or Break Your Business - Softcover

Rob Goffee; Gareth R. Jones

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006530524 ISBN 13: 9780006530527

Publisher: HarperCollins Business, 2002

Synopsis

Corporate culture is more than just a way to set the tone at work--it also affects the bottom line. That's why it's critical to understand your company's culture. Authors Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones argue that managers need to know if their business's culture helps or hurts, and how to change it, if necessary. Goffee and Jones know their stuff. As founders of the London-based consulting firm Creative Management Associates, they've helped launch programs to overhaul corporate cultures at such companies as Johnson & Johnson, Coopers and Lybrand, and Hilton Hotels. They've identified four basic cultures, each of which can be good or the networked culture, the mercenary culture, the fragmented culture, and the communal culture. For example, do employees gossip and form cliques? That's the networked culture at its worst, and it's probably creating an atmosphere of distrust and cynicism that can damage the company's future. But networking can also mean open and effective communication--and constructive friendships--that can lead to the sharing of good ideas, all to the company's benefit. The book includes handy diagnostic tools, so you can describe your own corporate culture. It also suggests ways to bring about change and offers tips on surviving in whatever culture you find yourself. The Character of a Corporation is instructive reading for managers who want to improve performance and for anyone looking to survive and thrive in the workplace. --Dan Ring

About this title

About the Author

Gareth Jones is the BT Professor of Organizational Development at Henley Management College and visiting Professor of Organizational Behaviour at INSEAD. He is the author of books and articles dealing with organizational change, gender at work and organizational culture. He is, with Rob Goffee, a founding partner of Creative Management Associates and works with a number of organizations who see creativity as a source of competitive advantage.

Review

A do-it-yourself kit to understanding corporate culture ... A must read! * Richard Greenhalgh *

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins Business
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0006530524
• ISBN 13: 9780006530527
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256