Organizational Culture
Organizational Culture Course Module in Organizational Behavior Course Modules help instructors select and sequence material for use as part of a course. Each module represents the thinking of subject matter experts about the best materials to assign and how to organize them to facilitate learning. Each module recommends four to six items. Whenever possible at least one alternative item for each main recommendation is included, as well as suggested supplemental readings that may provide a broader conceptual context. Cases form the core of many modules but we also include readings from Harvard Business Review, background notes, and other course materials. 1. Overview of suggested content (HBS case unless otherwise noted) Title
Author
1. Introduction What is an Christensen Organization’s Culture? HBS Background Note 2. Culture in a New Job Martha Rinaldi Hill Alternative: Neeley (Re)Building a Global Team: Tariq Khan at Tek The Onboarding Watkins Challenge: A Leader’s Guide to Navigating this Important Career Transition Harvard Business Press Chapter 3. Culture and Growing a Company Trader Joe’s Ager Alternative: The Mayo Transformation of Mudo
Product Number
Publication Year
Pages
399104
1999
8
4310 414059
2011 2013
10 9
5339BC
2009
2009
714419 416015
2013/2014 2015
17 25
Teaching Note
Yes Yes
Yes Yes
Start-Ups That Last Gulati R1603C Harvard Business Review Article Building a GameReady R1401D Changing Talent Strategy Harvard Business Review Article 4. Culture and Acquisitions Lenovo to Buy IBM Fubini 417042 PC: Integration Challenges Alternative: Henry Henderson 714450 Schein: Doing Well by Doing Good? Prada’s CEO on Bertelli R1209A Staying Independent in a Consolidating Industry Harvard Business Review Article 5. Culture and Managing Cross-Functional Processes Collaborating for Gardner 414022 Growth: Duane Morris in a Turbulent Legal Sector Alternative: Henkel: Simons 112060 Building a Winning Culture Smart Rules: Six Ways Morieux R1109D to Get People to Solve Problems Without You 6. Changing or Re-invigorating the Culture Cynthia Carrol at Mukunda 414019 Anglo American Alternative: Iz-Lynn Hill 415033 Chan at Far East Organization (Abridged) Managing Change, Ferrazzi F1407A One Day at a Time Harvard Business Review Article
2016
9
2014
8
2016/2017
7
2014
31
2012
5
2013/2016
31
TN
2012
19
TN
2011
9
2013/2015
16
TN
2014/2015
25
TN
2014
4
Yes
Section 1 features a note that answers the question, “What is an Organization’s Culture?”
The structure of this module has been shaped in large part from this note. An understanding of organizational culture is particularly important during times of organizational transition, stress or change. Section 2 looks at the impact of culture in a new job from two distinct and complementary points of view. The main case focuses on a young product manager who faces difficulties with co-workers and superiors starting just a few days after she takes the job. The alternative case can be used to look at the impact of culture on the job of a new manager asked to run a globally diverse team. Section 3 looks at a common but always difficult problem facing managers of companies in the midst of expansion or growth: how does one maintain (or change) a corporate culture as it grows in scale? Section 4 examines the challenge of maintaining a vibrant and coherent organizational culture when one company acquires another. Section 5 enters an important contemporary business context: managing cross-functional processes. With the use of cross-functional teams increasing as businesses try to respond to market opportunities as quickly as possible, managing efficiently across distinct functions (which are often bastions of distinct cultures) has become a crucial management competency. Section 6 looks at how leaders attempt to re-invigorate or change a culture. Re-tooling a company’s culture is particularly important when a company attempts to change its strategy. The main case examines the attempts by a new CEO to bring about organizational and cultural change while the alternative offers students an example of similar change processes spurred on by middle management.
Author
1. Introduction What is an Christensen Organization’s Culture? HBS Background Note 2. Culture in a New Job Martha Rinaldi Hill Alternative: Neeley (Re)Building a Global Team: Tariq Khan at Tek The Onboarding Watkins Challenge: A Leader’s Guide to Navigating this Important Career Transition Harvard Business Press Chapter 3. Culture and Growing a Company Trader Joe’s Ager Alternative: The Mayo Transformation of Mudo
Product Number
Publication Year
Pages
399104
1999
8
4310 414059
2011 2013
10 9
5339BC
2009
2009
714419 416015
2013/2014 2015
17 25
Teaching Note
Yes Yes
Yes Yes
Start-Ups That Last Gulati R1603C Harvard Business Review Article Building a GameReady R1401D Changing Talent Strategy Harvard Business Review Article 4. Culture and Acquisitions Lenovo to Buy IBM Fubini 417042 PC: Integration Challenges Alternative: Henry Henderson 714450 Schein: Doing Well by Doing Good? Prada’s CEO on Bertelli R1209A Staying Independent in a Consolidating Industry Harvard Business Review Article 5. Culture and Managing Cross-Functional Processes Collaborating for Gardner 414022 Growth: Duane Morris in a Turbulent Legal Sector Alternative: Henkel: Simons 112060 Building a Winning Culture Smart Rules: Six Ways Morieux R1109D to Get People to Solve Problems Without You 6. Changing or Re-invigorating the Culture Cynthia Carrol at Mukunda 414019 Anglo American Alternative: Iz-Lynn Hill 415033 Chan at Far East Organization (Abridged) Managing Change, Ferrazzi F1407A One Day at a Time Harvard Business Review Article
2016
9
2014
8
2016/2017
7
2014
31
2012
5
2013/2016
31
TN
2012
19
TN
2011
9
2013/2015
16
TN
2014/2015
25
TN
2014
4
Yes
Section 1 features a note that answers the question, “What is an Organization’s Culture?”
The structure of this module has been shaped in large part from this note. An understanding of organizational culture is particularly important during times of organizational transition, stress or change. Section 2 looks at the impact of culture in a new job from two distinct and complementary points of view. The main case focuses on a young product manager who faces difficulties with co-workers and superiors starting just a few days after she takes the job. The alternative case can be used to look at the impact of culture on the job of a new manager asked to run a globally diverse team. Section 3 looks at a common but always difficult problem facing managers of companies in the midst of expansion or growth: how does one maintain (or change) a corporate culture as it grows in scale? Section 4 examines the challenge of maintaining a vibrant and coherent organizational culture when one company acquires another. Section 5 enters an important contemporary business context: managing cross-functional processes. With the use of cross-functional teams increasing as businesses try to respond to market opportunities as quickly as possible, managing efficiently across distinct functions (which are often bastions of distinct cultures) has become a crucial management competency. Section 6 looks at how leaders attempt to re-invigorate or change a culture. Re-tooling a company’s culture is particularly important when a company attempts to change its strategy. The main case examines the attempts by a new CEO to bring about organizational and cultural change while the alternative offers students an example of similar change processes spurred on by middle management.
