28 October 2010 | Andrew Vaughan
Organisation Culture - Getting it Right
by Naomi Stanford
Economist, £12.99
4 out of 5
Stanford has been busy. This book is a comprehensive analysis of what defines corporate culture. Very much business focused, it draws from a multitude of cultural examples. Although it’s a difficult subject, the examples are enlightening and interesting.
It’s really a practical view on how business leaders work with culture within organisations. I found it well researched and laid out, with a useful summary of each chapter.
“Getting organisational culture right” seems an ambitious title for what essentially is not something that is eminently prescriptive. The book provides lots of examples of predominantly US corporate experience and the importance
of culture.
There is also a whole chapter on
the ability “to fit in” when starting a new job, which is worth reading in its own right.
It’s pretty good if you are interested in what makes businesses tick. For the readers of SM, it struck me that it’s always useful to reflect on what or who drives the culture within your own organisation and the culture within your key suppliers – interesting stuff for negotiation and collaboration.
Pertinent quotes include those from the CEO of Merck that “the fact is culture eats strategy for lunch”; from the CEO of Zappos that “your culture is your brand”; and perhaps even more thought-provokingly from Apple’s Steve Jobs that “your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone
else’s life”.
Such statements made me reflect on all the employee satisfaction surveys we fill in and what really does make “a great place to work”. And they tell you that there’s more to life than the size of your package.
* Andrew Vaughan, group procurement director,
BDR Thermea
