Overview

"The contribution of culture to organizational performance is substantial and quantifiable. In The Culture Cycle, renowned thought leader James Heskett demonstrates how an effective culture can account for 20-30% of the differential in performance compared with ""culturally unremarkable"" competitors.   Drawing on decades of field research and dozens of case studies, Heskett introduces a powerful conceptual framework for managing culture, and shows it at work in a real-world setting. Heskett's ""culture cycle"" identifies cause-and-effect relationships that are crucial to shaping effective cultures, and demonstrates how to calculate culture's economic value through ""Four Rs"": referrals, retention, returns to labor, and relationships. This book: Explains how culture evolves, can be shaped and sustained, and serve as the organization's ""internal brand."" Shows how culture can promote innovation and survival in tough times. Guides leaders in linking culture to strategy and managing forces that challenge it. Shows how to credibly quantify culture's impact on performance, productivity, and profits. Clarifies culture's unique role in mission-driven organizations. A follow-up to the classic Corporate Culture and Performance (authored by Heskett and John Kotter), this is the next indispensable book on organizational culture.   ""Heskett (emer., Harvard Business School) provides an exhaustive examination of corporate policies, practices, and behaviors in organizations."" Summing Up: Recommended. Reprinted with permission from CHOICE, copyright by the American Library Association.  "

Full Product Details

Author:   James Heskett
Publisher:   Pearson Education (US)
Imprint:   Pearson FT Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.30cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 23.10cm
Weight:   0.642kg
ISBN:  

9780132779784

ISBN 10:   0132779781
Pages:   384
Publication Date:   22 September 2011
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Replaced By:   9780134387079
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     x About the Author    xii Introduction     1 Two Visits, One Story    3 Questions to Be Addressed    12 How This Book Is Organized    13 Chapter 1 A Crisis in Organization Culture?      15 What Culture Is and Isn’t      17 Stealth Weapon or Humanizing Effort?     17 The Development of Interest in Organization Culture    19 The Nature of an Organization’s Culture    22 Culture and the Workplace    35 Culture and the Long-Term Erosion of Job Satisfaction    38 Chapter 2 Culture as “Know How”      41 ING Direct: Shaping a Culture    41 Culture and Purpose (“Know Why”)     45 Culture and Strategy (“Know What, When, Where”)     46 Culture and Execution (“Know Who”)     46 How Successful Managers View the Importance of Culture    48 Culture in the Context of Purpose, Strategy, and Execution    49 Chapter 3 Culture: A Multi-edged Sword     55 Nature and Results of the 1992 Study    59 Strong Cultures Affect Performance    60 Strength of Culture Is Not Correlated with Good Performance    61 Adaptability Keys Long-Term Success    61 The Question of Fit    62 The Role of Leadership      65 Chapter 4 Culture in an Organization’s Life Cycle     69 How Cultures Are Formed    69 The Process of Culture Formation    72 How Cultures Are Articulated and Institutionalized    72 How Cultures Are Diluted    75 Enemies of an Effective Culture    77 How Cultures Are Renewed    88 Reinforcing Effective Cultures    90 Chapter 5 Economics of Culture: The “Four Rs”      95 Economic Advantages of an Effective Culture: The “Four Rs”    97 Culture Impact Model    114 Several Caveats    114 Chapter 6 The Culture Cycle: Measuring Effectiveness     119 USAA: Effectiveness Through Trust    121 Nucor Steel: A Study in Learning, Accountability, Self-Direction, and Innovation    124 Toyota and the Importance of Alignment and Agility    128 Measuring a Culture’s Strength    132 Measuring a Culture’s Health: The Culture Cycle    134 Measuring a Culture’s Fit    146 Caveats    147 Chapter 7 The Four R Model: A Field Test     151 The Setting: RTL, Inc.     151 The Research and Findings    152 The Blind Results    156 Blind Result Comparisons    158 Caveats Regarding the Blind Estimates    159 Comparisons of Culture Cycle Elements    160 Management’s Interpretation of What Happened    164 Conclusions    165 Chapter 8 Culture and Innovation     169 The Culture Cycle and 3M Innovation    172 Levels of Innovation    174 Adaptability and Innovation    179 Value “Clusters” That Foster Innovation    179 Innovation “Value Clusters” at Apple    187 Chapter 9 Culture and Adversity     197 Adversity and Response at Intuit    197 Adversity and Response at BP    200 9/11 and the Southwest Airlines Response    203 Adversity and Response at Goldman Sachs    204 So What?     209 The Fit Between Culture, Leadership Style, and the Nature of Adversity    210 How Cultures Help and Hurt in Times of Adversity    212 Culture as a “Filter” Between Adversity and Performance    214 Chapter 10 Subcultures and Global Strategies     219 Enter the Culturalists    221 Global Management Challenges from Cultural Differences    223 What Do These Vignettes Suggest?     231 The Selection of Leaders    239 Managing the Relationship Between Headquarters and Subsidiaries    241 Organizing, Coordinating, and Controlling Effort    243 Implications for Subcultures in General    245 Chapter 11 Mission-Driven Organizations: Special Challenges     251 Supergrowth    251 Loss of Focus: “Mission Creep”     253 Making a Large Organization Seem Small    255 Deploying Human Resources: The Challenge of Volunteer Labor    255 Measuring and Rewarding Effectiveness Among an Organization’s Subcultures    257 Coordinating Efforts with Other Mission-Driven Organizations    259 Managing Board and Leadership Conflicts Concerning Basic Assumptions    260 Controlling Zealous Behavior    263 Chapter 12 Dealing with Forces That Challenge Organization Cultures Today     267 Information and Communications Technology    268 Increasing Emphasis on Transparency    270 New Generations of Employees    272 Team-Based Work    276 Employment and Deployment Strategies    277 The Rise of Free Agency    281 The Psychological Shrinking of the World    281 Chapter 13 Leading Culture Change     285 How Do You Know Change Is Needed?     288 Monitoring Links in the Culture Cycle: RTL, Inc. Revisited    289 Changing a Culture    297 Sustaining Culture Change    305 Conclusions    309 The Role of the Leader in Reshaping Culture    310 Chapter 14 Answers and Questions     317 Characteristics of Effective Cultures    318 Economic Outcomes: Profit and Satisfied Stakeholders    320 Behavioral Outcomes: Great Places to Work    320 Some Final Thoughts    322 Appendix A Sample Questions for Measuring the Strength and Health of a Culture      325 Appendix B Four R Assumptions and Computations      329 Appendix C Complete Results of Employee Surveys, 2009 and 2010, for Three RTL, Inc. Offices     333 Endnotes      339 Index     361

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Author Information

James Heskett is Baker Foundation Professor, Emeritus at Harvard University’s Business School. A leader in advancing management practice, he remains active at Harvard Business School; serves as a board member at Limited Brands; and consults with companies worldwide.  Heskett has won the Council of Logistics Management’s John Drury Sheahan Award; Sales and Marketing Executives International’s Marketing Educator of the Year Award; and the American Marketing Association’s Career Contributions to the Service Discipline Award. He is author and coauthor of several books, including Corporate Culture and Performance (with John P. Kotter); The Value Profit Chain (with W. Earl Sasser, Jr. and Leonard A Schlesinger); and The Ownership Quotient (with Sasser and Joe Wheeler).  

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