What is Culture: and Can it be Useful for Organisational Change Agents?

Although the term organisational culture is now widely used, there is little agreement as to its definition. This can lead to very superficial analysis. Unfortunately, although culture is a key concept in anthropology, its use in the anthropological literature is equally confused. A way forward is offered by considering the cultural approach as a way of approaching organisational data. Advantages of a culturally sensitive approach by consultants and managers involved in organisational change and problem solving are described. These include an holistic approach to data, ensuring a broad frame of reference, and a recognition that there will be a variety of competing world views significant both to our understanding of what is going on and to implementing proposals. In particular, a distinction is made between “emic” and “etic” explanations, and its importance to successful implementation of change is described. Finally, the issues of organisational pluralism and subcultures are considered.