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This article examines how an organization's reputation is impacted by business unit and employee actions, focusing on how an organization can encourage employees to 'live the brand.' Management actions that enhance employee support and corporate values are discussed.

Introduction International differences in work-related values The study of international differences in work-related values has been extensively carried out by Geert Hofstede. His cultural maps of the world are interpreted [...]

Turn to the sports page of virtually any newspaper and the message is the same: At the very core of performance, excellence is an overwhelming passion to push the boundaries [...]

The success stories of Wal-Mart, Semco and the Toronto Blue Jays all attest to the power of alignment in making an organization effective. In all these examples, synergy was achieved through the alignment of the members' goals and efforts, resulting in shared commitment and balanced competencies. Sam Walton, the founder of the successful retail store chain Wal-Mart, exemplified alignment by personally enforcing his corporate philosophies of lower costs and guaranteed customer satisfaction throughout his organization, leading to the creation of a unique corporate culture. Semco head Ricardo Sempler accomplished a similar feat by creating an organization characterized by employee participation and autonomy, long before empowerment came into style. All these experiences point out that structural improvement initiatives such as total quality management and re-engineering cannot succeed without alignment.

Subcultural groups within an organization factor greatly in initiating organizational change, as each group's culture dictates the manner in which employee members conduct their working lives. The concept of order is applied in the context of work environment interaction, vital in ensuring successful corporate change. Toward this end, organizations must see to it that subcultural groups are effectively positioned within the organization's structure and hierarchy. Management must note the pitfalls of implementing gradual structural changes in response to environment changes. The ideal method in structural reorganization is through initiating changes without sacrificing worker efficiency.

A case study research involving central planning engineers and widely dispersed field engineers of a UK multinational service sector firm illustrates how employee communications can be used to implement corporate culture change. Results of the study indicate that organizational group is useful in assessing familiarity with corporate value statements, but not in the practice of these values. The findings show that a 'values gap' exists since corporate values appear to be understood but are not practiced. This gap may be the result of perceptual problems with regard to the values, including the irrelevance of the corporate value statements to the work undertaken, management's failure to demonstrate the relevance of the values to the work undertaken, and the employees' disregard for the value statements. Measures for overcoming these problems are suggested.

The importance of a comprehensive and integrated management strategy that covers all aspects of organizational decision-making is emphasized. 'Total' strategy refers to planning for change that considers the cultural, policy, market and methodological forces within an organization, thereby resulting in a consistent direction. Narrow focus on one aspect of organizational effectiveness, such as training or quality, to the detriment of others will lead to uneven and potentially harmful growth. A simple graphical approach is proposed towards analyzing the complex interrelationships among such factors as attitudes, beliefs, compensation, promotion, information, objectives, investment, marketing, relationships and all other considerations. Strategic consistency is the key to organizational success.

Corporate values serve to focus organizational decision-making and help to support the strategic vision needed to compete in a fast-changing business environment. It is the chief executive officer's role to guide and direct the implementation of value-driven management. Such a strategy allows values to permeate an organization, thereby becoming an integral part of the corporate culture. Key aspects of value-driven management include organizational goal-setting, corporate planning, emphasis on individual accountability, monitoring of standards of performance, and the setting up of a rewards system.

Pirelli General, a manufacturer of high-technology cable systems and wires, developed a new business approach to reduce labor content, material waste, and work-in-progress. The two primary elements of the new approach were new manufacturing and control technology and a new organizational culture. The new technology included computer integrated manufacturing, the automation of the manufacture of electrical conductors, and the use of new extrusion technology. The firm developed a culture that was based on involvement. The objectives included gaining the commitment of employees to the success of the business, promoting an atmosphere of unity within the organization, and implementing progressive personnel policies. The new corporate culture has contributed to the progress in the operations of the firm.

ICL, a computer firm, implemented a management development program as an important part of a change in its corporate culture. The elements of culture change included the commitment of top management, a focus on education and communication, and the development of new structures and processes. ICL helped managers develop skills in several areas, including goal setting, employee appraisal, and career management. The lessons learned by ICL included that business success depends on employee development, the change in corporate culture is a lengthy process, and the leadership of top management is essential.

The impact of knowledge management on corporate culture is examined.

A case study of GAMMA is presented. The impact of management styles on corporate culture is examined.

The impact of business creativity, on organizational culture, is examined.