Different cultures of management and their relationships with organizational performance: evidence from the UK ambulance service

This article explores the relationship between organizational subcultures and organizational performance in an ambulance service. Three distinct occupational ‘tribes’ , or subcultures, are identified. There is no ‘single’ ambulance culture and no consensus view on good performance, for example according to a paramedic: ‘if you get to a patient in 8 minutes and they die, you succeed; but if you get there in 9 minutes and the patient survives, you fail’. Ambulance services could be more effective if these subcultures were recognized and steps taken to create mutual understanding. The lessons in this article have relevance to emergency response services in the UK and overseas.