ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with a review of how humanity has approached the idea of culture. Culture study is a relatively new discipline. In 1871, E. B. Tylor published the first work that examined culture as a field of study. The chapter focuses on organizational culture. Given the success of the Japanese automobile industry and the theory that it was due to corporate culture, a trend began in both the academy and the business world to examine the concept. This idea quickly gained traction and there was increased research into organizational culture. Economic globalization has demonstrated the value of understanding culture for business purposes. The internet and globalization have created a need to understand culture for personal reasons. Executives cite the need for 'cultural changes' when planning mergers and acquisitions, as if these changes were as simple as changing a light bulb – never realizing the underlying cause of the phenomenon or the potential difficulty they face.
