Adaptive Organisational Culture as a Source of

Understanding organisational culture and its role in creating long term economicperformance has become a major area of research in recent times. Leading researchers inthe field have found that organisational culture characteristics that facilitate learning andadaptability can significantly enhance economic performance (Schein 1990; Peter andWaterman 1982; Dension 1990; Kotter and Heskett 1992). Identifying distinctivecharacteristics and core culture traits can therefore assist managers in assessing the role thatorganisational culture plays in either facilitating or inhibiting the implementation ofstrategies and goals.The study aims to explore the role of adaptive organisational culture in creating asustainable competitive advantage within a single South African organisation. The studywas guided by three research questions which included 1) describing the culturecharacteristics of the organisation; 2) assessing if the culture characteristics of organisationwere representative of an adaptive culture; 3) examining if the organisational cultureserved as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Due to the nuanced nature oforganisational culture the case study design was deemed appropriate as it provided valuablein-depth understanding of context and processes within a single organisation. Theinvestigation employed the method of multiple data collection and included collection ofdata from documentary sources, direct observation, physical artifacts and semi-structuredinterviews (Yin 1984; Eisenhardt 1989).Based on historical data, the culture was assessed and found to be representative of anadaptive culture. It was also concluded that the adaptive culture of the organisation hadserved as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. The findings revealed that theability of the organisation’s culture to remain adaptive and serve as a source of sustainedcompetitive advantage depended on the active management of that culture during periodsof intense growth and/or in times of immense change. Key recommendations for continuedculture strength included proper integration of newcomers into the organisation, continuedactive management of the culture and establishing role models and heroes in addition to thefounding members of the organisation.