The Corporate Culture Survival Guide (J-B Warren Bennis Series)

Schein's book, Corporate Culture Survival Guide, is a classic on the subject. This book informs us on how to look beyond stated values and mission statements. One would have to take a lot of time and expend a lot of effort to get to the bottom of it, but it is possible to arrive at an understanding of what makes one corporate culture different than another.

My favorite part of the book was where it deals with the lessons learned that get embedded into a culture, particularly a corporate culture. Every group has had challenges and has had to learn what works or doesn't work for them. On a subconscious level, these things become part of the bedrock of a corporate culture. When they are no longer true, when what once worked no longer does, it is no wonder that the culture cannot change readily.

I think this book is valuable for anybody since we're all dealing with subcultures of some kind. Especially it is valuable for a consultant charged with making changes to an organization or for a change agent within a corporation.

While this book had an adequate explaination of corporate culture, I found the suggestions of how to manage culture vague and cumbersome. Although I am not returning this book, I can't highly recommend it.

Like all of Edgar Schein's books, this contains extraordinary insight. I am recommending this to all of my clients.

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

This book summarize the content of corporate culture very good and provide me with culture concept.

Edgar H. Schein provides an excellent conceptual explanation of culture in general and corporate culture in particular. He shows how cultures arise and explains why it is so hard to examine and change an embedded culture. He also lays out practical plans for assessing culture. These plans are not simple or easy, but they promise great reward if carefully followed. Case studies illustrate the concepts and show how corporate problems can be seen in terms of culture. The first half of the book, which lays out the concepts of culture, is especially clear. The second half, which examines cultural issues in various kinds of organizations, uses more jargon and is a bit murkier. Overall, we [...] recommend this book as especially useful for anyone dealing with change, be it moving to a new organization, considering or coping with a merger or acquisition, or even planning to work with people from another group, company or background.