June 2016: How to visualize and manage your Corporate Culture

by Marc Jacobs

monkey-improvedBy Marc Jacobs, Associate Partner of Itim International and ‘The Hofstede Centre’

Published in ‘Connecting Competence‘, TWO:16 edition

Multiple studies show that at least 65% of managers say that culture is more important than strategy or operating model. Yet very few can accurately describe their organisational culture. Studies also show that the majority of acquisitions and mergers do not achieve their targets, or even fail completely. Often this is attributed to differences in culture.

Participants in the 2015 annual convention of the IoD (UK Institute of Directors) will have noticed that managing corporate culture was highlighted as a major concern. The VW scandal was a hot media topic at the time, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that culture was highlighted as an important board-responsibility by several keynote speakers.

Peter Drucker once famously said that “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”
and according to Lou Gerstner from IBM “Culture isn’t just one aspect of the game — it is the game”

My article introduces you to Prof. Geert Hofstede’s Multi-Focus Model of Organizational Culture.  It is a powerful tool to assess and visualize your organisation’s culture and will enable you to manage it so that it becomes a powerful enabler for your organisation’s strategy.

Please click HERE to download the full article