Firms must Learn to Change their Culture

New forms of work organisation and new production systems that mark a decisive break with the Taylorian principles of bureaucracy and division of labour are the foundation on which the competitiveness of modern firms is built. ... The fact that new production methods are not diffused more widely is not mainly the result of inadequate knowledge or understanding on the part of firms or of the unsuitability of the new methods; rather, it is above all the consequence of deeply entrenched patterns of perception and received notions of how to think and act that shape the thinking and behaviour of individuals in firms. The capacity of existing company cultures to block radical change is the main problem in any fundamental restructuring of company organisation. ... The purpose of this paper is to present a method by means of which this cultural change might be effected. However, it is necessary first to make clear what we mean by company culture and how it can block organisational change.