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Looking at the evolution of corporate culture from "Factory Culture Change": Do you know the secret?
Corporate culture, a term frequently mentioned in the business world, refers to the culture related to organizations, covering various forms such as schools, universities, non-profit groups, government agencies and commercial entities. This culture affects not only the way employees interact, but also the decision-making process and knowledge sharing. Since the 1980s, the term "corporate culture" has gradually emerged, and various scholars and managers have begun to discuss the role and importance of culture in corporate operations.
According to different scholars, corporate culture can be defined as "the way things work here" or "the culture of a factory is the pattern of basic assumptions that its members have learned over time."
From a practical point of view, corporate culture affects not only the behaviors and values of individual employees, but also the operating model and market competitiveness of the entire enterprise. For example, a Gallup survey shows that only 22% of American employees feel connected to their organizational culture, which shows that today's organizational culture has not received due attention and cultivation in many companies.
The origin and evolution of corporate culture
As early as 1951, scholar Jaques published his insights on factory culture in his book "The Changes of Factory Culture". This book provides an in-depth exploration of the development and changes of social life in factories through case studies. Since then, the study of corporate culture has gradually become an important branch of organizational management, and scholars have proposed various analytical tools and models.
Researchers pointed out that corporate culture not only covers collective values, beliefs and principles, but is also affected by many factors such as history, product type, technology, market strategy and corporate management style.
With the advancement of globalization, corporate culture has also evolved into diversity. Hofstede's "National Cultural Dimension Theory" reveals how cultural differences in different countries affect the operations of enterprises. These cultural dimensions include power distance, individualism versus collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance, etc., and emphasize the profound impact of culture within an enterprise.
The influence of corporate culture
Successful companies typically have strong corporate cultures that promote teamwork and increase employee job satisfaction. Research shows that a healthy corporate culture can increase employee loyalty, increase productivity, and create a competitive advantage for companies. For example, a Harvard Business School study showed that culture has a significant impact on an organization's long-term economic performance.
The impact of culture on corporate performance can be reflected through employees' commitment and innovative activities.
However, changing corporate culture is not easy, especially when the existing culture creates barriers to change. According to research, 70% of change efforts fail due to employee resistance. However, companies that proactively adopt change can survive and thrive in uncertain markets. This has also caused many companies to begin to re-evaluate and adjust their culture to promote greater flexibility and adaptability in response to the global epidemic.
COVID-19’s reshaping of corporate culture
The sudden onset of the pandemic has forced many organizations to re-examine their culture and integrate health and safety into their core values. During the epidemic, many companies kept employees connected through digital tools such as video conferencing and online collaboration software. Although this shift solves the problem of face-to-face communication, it also raises cultural adaptation challenges, especially for new employees, who lack opportunities to build relationships with colleagues, making it difficult for them to integrate into the corporate culture.
Surveys show that employees’ ratings of leadership rise significantly due to integrity, open communication and transparency.
Because organizational culture is not static, many cultural aspects of companies have been strengthened or weakened after experiencing this global crisis, and communication and support between each other have also undergone considerable changes due to the new environment. Some studies have pointed out that organizations undergoing rapid change still need to maintain cultural consistency to continue moving toward goals amidst changes.
Future corporate culture
With the development of the times, how will corporate culture evolve in the future? In a rapidly changing environment, how to maintain cultural stability and flexibility will be a question that every enterprise needs to think deeply about.
