National Cultures and

Corporate Culture

Four Corporate Cultures

• Family • Eiffel Tower • Guided Missile • Incubator

Task

Hierarchical

Person

Egalitarian

Four Corporate Culture (Graph)

Family

• Relationships between employees– Diffuse relationships to organic whole to which one is

bonded

• Ways of thinking and learning – Intuitive, holistic, lateral, and error-correcting

• Attitude towards authority – Status is ascribed to parent figures who are close and

powerful

• Attitudes towards people – Family members

• Ways of motivating and rewarding – Intrinsic satisfaction in being loved and respected – Management by subjective

• Criticism and conflict resolution – Turn other cheek, save others’ faces, do not lose power

game

• Ways of changing – “Father” changes course

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Eiffel Tower

• Relationship between employees– Specific role in mechanical system of required interactions

• Attitude towards authority – Status is ascribed to superior roles which are distant yet

powerful

• Ways of thinking and learning – Logical analytical, vertical, and rationally efficient

• Attitudes towards people – Human resource

• Ways of motivating and rewarding – Promotion to greater position, larger role – Management by job description

• Criticism and conflict resolution – Criticism is accusation of irrationalism unless there are

procedures to arbitrate conflicts

Guided Missile

• Relationships between employees– Specific tasks in cybernetic system targeted upon shared

objectives

• Attitude towards authority – Status is achieved by project group members who

contribute to targeted goal

• Ways of thinking and learning – Problem centered, professional, practical, cross-disciplinary

• Attitudes towards people – Specialists and experts

• Ways of changing– Shift aim as target moves

• Ways of motivating and rewarding – Pay or credit for performance and problems solved– Management by objectives

• Criticism and conflict resolution – Constructive task-related only, then admit error and

correct

Incubator

• Ways of thinking and learning – Process oriented, creative, ad hoc, inspirational

• Attitude towards authority – Status is achieved by individuals exemplifying creativity

and growth

• Relationships between employees– Diffuse, spontaneous relationships growing out of shared

creative process

• Attitudes towards people – Co-creators

• Ways of changing – Improvise and attune

• Ways of motivating and rewarding – Participating in the process of creating new realities– Management by enthusiasm

• Criticism and Conflict Resolution – Must improve creative idea, not negate it