Barriers to Organisational Change: The Role of Culture

Organisational culture has been a recurring theme in the literature on organisations over the last decade. Indeed, it sometimes seems almost impossible to find a book or journal without some reference, albeit often superficial, to the curative and restorative powers of organisational culture. The literature is studded with oft‐repeated phrases which still trip neatly off the tongue: “a strong culture makes a strong organisation….” (Handy, 1986:188), even when the context has been forgotten.