Book review: Shaping corporate culture for sustainable business success

Corporate/organisational culture is the backbone of a company.The invisible yet powerful web of shared values, beliefs and behaviours defines how things get done within an organisation.Its significance can be classified as its impact on employees and business.In this respect, a positive culture attracts talented individuals who resonate with its values and find the work environment engaging, leading to better employee retention.It also nurtures a sense of belonging and purpose, driving employee motivation and engagement, as employees feel valued for their contributions and are more likely to do extra.In terms of its impact on business, for example, the culture of an organisation can significantly impact its brand image, as a positive and ethical culture attracts customers and investors, strengthening brand reputation and trust.It also increases customer satisfaction.This is because it translates to better customer service when employees are happy and engaged.Thus, as studies have shown, companies with strong cultures outperform those with weak ones.The following quote by Henry Mintzberg highlights its importance: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast" (Herget, 2023, p. 3).Thus, since "there is no such thing as a company without its own corporate culture," we need to understand what it is properly.This is mentioned in Chapter 1.In addition to introducing "Levels of corporate culture" (Figure 1.1), which helps to define corporate culture (Herget, 2023, p. 5), this chapter also underlines the significance of corporate culture and how an effective culture can be a financial booster, which in turn points to the critical role of corporate culture management (Herget, 2023, p. 19).Chapter 2 posits that corporate culture is a dynamic phenomenon, so it can be shaped.This discussion reminds us that leaders are not passive recipients because they have a significant degree of agency over corporate cultures.In fact, Schein argues that leaders create organisational cultures.How to shape corporate culture is given in Chapter 3, where three levels are discussed: strategic level, action level and selective level.The Culture Excellence Process is also presented in this chapter, as it serves as a central management tool at all management levels and keeps the process running (please note that this concept is identified in detail in Chapter 10).Chapter 4 seeks to answer the following questions, "Which corporate culture is the best?"And the answer is "none".This is because "each company has its own specific corporate culture and this fact is taken into account by individualization."Hence, the argument indicates the superiority of the individual model (Herget, 2023, p. 47).Chapter 5 is about auditing the existing corporate culture to analyse its characteristics.Auditing is key because it is the starting point for shaping the corporate culture.