During the early 1980s, Deal & Kennedy's Corporate Cultures (1982) became a popular best seller and a "must read" for managers. The book identified four corporate cultures:
The tough-guy macho culture in which individuals strive to make decisions quickly and competitively. All interactions take place on a battleground and organizational members fight each other for status, control, and respect.
The work hard, play hard culture, which emphasizes communication and teamwork aimed at motivating and inspiring employees. Employees are expected to be team players, friendly, and supportive.
The bet-your-company culture encourages employees to develop new ideas and pursue change, often at the risk of sacrificing the company's health and future. Open communication, trust, and confidence are nurtured and encouraged by management.
The process culture resembles a bureaucracy with low tolerance for change and high emphasis on rules and procedures. Conformity in these cultures is cherished and rewarded.
Question 1 - The resemblance between these four cultures and the CVF quadrants is astonishing! Can you think of where each one of these cultures "fits" into the Competing Values Framework and why?
Question 2 - You are an organizational leader and an employee comes to you with a work-related problem. The employee is faced with a decision that could generate good profits for the company if it succeeds, but would be costly if it fails. You are asked to give the employee assistance in making the decision. How would you approach the situation and use competent communication in each of the above cultures?