IBM's “tangible culture” approach can smooth the way to successful transformation : A practical approach for culture change

Purpose – Describes the “tangible culture” approach in promoting culture change, and smoothing the way to successful integration, which consultants and researchers devised to resolve some of the issues IBM faced over the $3.5 billion acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting in 2002. Design/methodology/approach – Details the three concepts – “business practices”, “right vs. right”, and “outcome narratives” – which lie at the heart of the tangible‐culture approach, and some of their practical applications. Findings – Demonstrates that tangible culture specifically targets the culture issues associated with mergers and acquisitions, alliances (e.g. outsourcing), major restructuring (e.g. shared services) and transformation. It can provide the clarity to help companies to reduce their risks and achieve full operations more quickly, while avoiding the delays, strife, additional costs and lost revenues that can erode a business case. Practical implications – Shows that organizations can now do something about culture clash and no longer need simply to hope for the best. Originality/value – Accepts that tangible culture is not a silver bullet, and is still proving itself, but advances the view that it is bringing benefits to IBM and to the author's clients.