The Culture That Wouldn’t Budge: A Case Study

Abstract

Many organizational experts dream of developing a new organization from scratch, applying all of the existing knowledge there is about what makes an organization “good,” “healthy,” “effective,” and “productive.” Most new organizations start out with the intention of becoming models. Despite good intentions new organizations soon learn the realities of culture. Two common myths are soon dispelled: (1) culture is strong enough to resist all change—the fantasy that the new organization always will remain vigorous and fresh; and (2) culture change can be managed—the fantasy that the leaders of organizations will be able to successfully manage change so that the craftsmanship, and original mission, and tenets of the founders are not altered (Deal & Kennedy, 1999). As we learned earlier, once a new organization begins its lifecycle it changes continuously. Leaders and members of organizations come and go and leave their marks on the organization, but the forces of change and processes of growth or decline continually shape the organization’s future.

“Organizations that need help most will benefit from it least.”¹