Culture Cycle, The: How to Shape the Unseen Force that Transforms Performance, Rough Cuts

Description

This is the Rough Cut version of the printed book.

The contribution of culture to organizational performance is substantial and quantifiable. In The Culture Cycle, renowned thought leader James Heskett demonstrates how an effective culture can account for 20-30% of the differential in performance compared with "culturally unremarkable" competitors.

Drawing on decades of field research and dozens of case studies, Heskett introduces a powerful conceptual framework for managing culture, and shows it at work in a real-world setting. Heskett's "culture cycle" identifies cause-and-effect relationships that are crucial to shaping effective cultures, and demonstrates how to calculate culture's economic value through "Four Rs": referrals, retention, returns to labor, and relationships. This book:

• Explains how culture evolves, can be shaped and sustained, and serve as the organization's "internal brand."
• Shows how culture can promote innovation and survival in tough times.
• Guides leaders in linking culture to strategy and managing forces that challenge it.
• Shows how to credibly quantify culture's impact on performance, productivity, and profits.
• Clarifies culture's unique role in mission-driven organizations.

A follow-up to the classic Corporate Culture and Performance (authored by Heskett and John Kotter), this is the next indispensable book on organizational culture.

"Heskett (emer., Harvard Business School) provides an exhaustive examination of corporate policies, practices, and behaviors in organizations." Summing Up: Recommended.

Reprinted with permission from CHOICE, copyright by the American Library Association.

Sample Content

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     x

About the Author     xii

Introduction     1

Two Visits, One Story     3

Questions to Be Addressed     12

How This Book Is Organized     13

Chapter 1 A Crisis in Organization Culture?      15

What Culture Is and Isn’t      17

Stealth Weapon or Humanizing Effort?      17

The Development of Interest in Organization Culture     19

The Nature of an Organization’s Culture     22

Culture and the Workplace     35

Culture and the Long-Term Erosion of Job Satisfaction     38

Chapter 2 Culture as “Know How”      41

ING Direct: Shaping a Culture     41

Culture and Purpose (“Know Why”)      45

Culture and Strategy (“Know What, When, Where”)      46

Culture and Execution (“Know Who”)      46

How Successful Managers View the Importance of Culture     48

Culture in the Context of Purpose, Strategy, and Execution     49

Chapter 3 Culture: A Multi-edged Sword     55

Nature and Results of the 1992 Study     59

Strong Cultures Affect Performance     60

Strength of Culture Is Not Correlated with Good Performance     61

Adaptability Keys Long-Term Success     61

The Question of Fit     62

The Role of Leadership      65

Chapter 4 Culture in an Organization’s Life Cycle     69

How Cultures Are Formed     69

The Process of Culture Formation     72

How Cultures Are Articulated and Institutionalized     72

How Cultures Are Diluted     75

Enemies of an Effective Culture     77

How Cultures Are Renewed     88

Reinforcing Effective Cultures     90

Chapter 5 Economics of Culture: The “Four Rs”      95

Economic Advantages of an Effective Culture: The “Four Rs”     97

Culture Impact Model     114

Several Caveats     114

Chapter 6 The Culture Cycle: Measuring Effectiveness &nbs