ABSTRACT
So, what is culture? According to Marvin Bower, former Managing Director of McKinsey consulting practice, culture is ‘how we do things around here’ (1966).2
CHAPTER 4 THE SOLVENCY II ‘CULTURE TEST’
Bower’s popular one-liner is very useful for general discussion on the topic as it captures some key aspects of culture that persons from all backgrounds can understand (that is, shared behaviours typical of a specific community). But to successfully embed a particular type of culture or to tackle culture transformation, a more detailed definition is necessary so that one can get to grips with the different facets of culture enabling one as to identify any gaps in a given culture and apply appropriate interventions. For such purposes, culture can be defined as:
Culture is created by a given community as it problem-solves and strives to meet the needs of the group in the face of environmental challenges. In the organizational context, this problem-solving process will be shaped by organizational needs also and will result in specific products, services and experiences that meet market demand. As part of the culture developmental process, shared learning experiences lead to the creation of a shared paradigm of beliefs and assumptions that determine ‘how we do things around here’.
