The Character Of A Corporation - Softcover

Jones, Gareth; Goffee, Rob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1861976216 ISBN 13: 9781861976215

Publisher: Profile Books, 2002

Synopsis

The Character of a Corporation introduces a radical new way of thinking about corporate culture – that elusive component of business – which has the power to destroy organizations, or create a sustainable, long-term competitive edge.

What sets successful companies apart? What explains the commitment of their people, their focus and their fervour? The answer is corporate culture.

Extraordinary performance is the Holy Grail of business. And each year, it seems there’s another management ‘guru’ claiming to have found the hidden path to it. Total quality. Reengineering. Down-sizing. Individualizing.

All of these strategies have value, but often it’s temporary – failing to galvanize the organization as a whole. It is corporate culture which really makes organizations triumph in the long term. And yet corporate culture is the single most underutilized weapon companies possess.

In The Character of a Corporation, world-renowned management experts Gareth Jones and Rob Goffee introduce a radical new way of assessing and harnessing corporate culture. Having identified four distinct types of corporate culture – Networked, Mercenary, Fragmented and Communal – this book advises executives on how to change their culture and answers two vital questions:

– What is your organization’s culture?
– Is it the right one for the business challenges of the 21st century?

In addition, the authors address the ethical issues of ‘manipulating’ the ways in which people relate to one another, and describes what kind of leadership styles tend to emerge in each type of culture.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

What sets successful companies apart? What explains the commitment of their people, their focus and their fervour? The answer is corporate culture.

'The Character of a Corporation' presents a powerful, practical methodology for assessing and transforming one's corporate culture – that elusive component of business which has the power to make or break a business's long-term success.

Coca-Cola, Disney, Nike and Hewlett Packard all have it: a positive corporate culture that powerful affects their bottom line. Yet corporate culture remains the most under-utilised weapon in business because most companies are intimidated by its intangibility, convinced of its secondary importance to the 'harder' components of their strategic plans, or simply don't know how to assess culture or fix it.

Drawing on fifteen years of research, and offering vivid examples and pragmatic solutions, world-renowned management experts Goffee and Jones explore how a company's 'character' can make the difference between short-term burnout and a sustainable long-term edge.

'The Character of a Corporation' is essential reading for anyone – from senior-level executive to middle manager – who wants to identify and thrive within their company's culture.

About the Author:

Gareth Jones is the BT Professor of Organizational Development at Henley Management College and visiting Professor of Organizational Behaviour at INSEAD. He is the author of books and articles dealing with organizational change, gender at work and organizational culture. He is, with Rob Goffee, a founding partner of Creative Management Associates and works with a number of organizations who see creativity as a source of competitive advantage.

About this edition

• Publisher: Profile Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1861976216
• ISBN 13: 9781861976215
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256