ABSTRACT
At the 1987 Conservative Party Conference, the Prime Minister called for an ‘enterprise culture’. Peters and Waterman’s In search of excellence has reached the US bestseller lists, and been put on the required reading list by the Chairman of Courtaulds. This chapter aims to cast some light into the black box of organisation and to suggest some implications of taking the notion of ‘cultural change’ seriously. It focuses on the notion of culture and organisational culture, and the background to its popularity. A fundamental characteristic of human culture is its endless diversity, which requires particular and detailed study and interpretation. This diversity is not of a simple kind, easily reducible and quantifiable, but shifting, subtle and complex as a Shakespeare play. Many organisations, both public and private, systematically deny or avoid the need for change – in working practices, in structure, in skills, in philosophy.
