Corporate Culture - People Management

La logique de l'informel	Corporate leaders often see themselves as organizational “architects.” They tend to think that behavior will naturally flow according to the operating rules that they define, such as organizational structures, procedures, objectives, incentive mechanisms, etc. La logique de l’informel highlights the many other phenomena outside direct executive control that nonetheless have a decisive influence on behavior – power struggles, sense of identity, team culture, etc. The author underlines the importance of understanding these phenomena and integrating them into management thinking. In particular, he proposes various ways to improve collaboration between different business units?
Gérard Pavy. Les Editions d'Organisation, 2002.

Successful Mergers, Acquisitions and Strategic Alliances	Companies increasingly use mergers and acquisitions as a vehicle for growth. However, over half of these ventures are observed to fail. Successful Mergers, Acquisitions and Strategic Alliances shows how many of these failures are caused by poor management of cultural clashes between the constituent partners. The authors emphasize the need for more active management of cultural issues, and recommend bridging existing cultures, rather than trying to merge them into something entirely new. They offer many practical instructions and helpful tips on how to do this.
Charles Gancel, Irene Rodgers and Marc Raynaud. McGraw-Hill, 2002.

The Character of a Corporation	How to analyze a company's organizational culture? To answer this question, the authors performed a study to identify the key variables of corporate culture, and discovered two, i.e., sociability and solidarity. Based on these conclusions, the book presents a detailed methodology developed to understand organizational culture and its impact on performance, and also provides tools for changing corporate culture in accordance with strategic objectives.
Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, Harper Collins Business, 1998.

Corporate Culture and Performance	The authors based this book on a study of more than two hundred companies showing that strong corporate culture does not always mean strong performance. This study concludes that companies must do three things to ensure that their corporate culture is efficient: promote values aligned with the environment; have consideration for employees, shareholders, and customers; place value on leadership rather than bureaucracy. Key principles for improving company culture are then described.
John P. Kotter and James L. Heskett, The Free Press, 1990.

The Corporate Culture Survival Guide	La culture d'entreprise est souvent une notion déroutante. On peut en effet en observer l'existence en de multiples circonstances : lors de visites d'entreprises, lors de négociations avec des partenaires, lors du rapprochement de 2 entités, etc. Pour autant, la notion de culture est difficile à appréhender. S'agit-il des valeurs affichées ? De la faon de se comporter avec les autres ? Des habitudes de travail ? Et comment la faire évoluer si elle semble inadaptée ? The Corporate Culture Survival Guide nous apporte des réponses concrètes à ces questions. Qui reposent sur des décennies de recherches et de pratique de la part d'un expert qui fait autorité en la matière.
, éd. Jossey-Bass, 1999.

The Unwritten Rules of the Game	This book, written by an Arthur D. Little consultant, examines how unwritten rules affect corporate functioning, and offers a detailed methodology for defining and understanding their impact. The author also describes how to use these rules when implementing a change project.
Peter Scott-Morgan, McGraw-Hill, 1994.

Built to Last	This book presents the results of a study of eighteen companies that have been successful for more than fifty years. Among other things, these exceptional companies are all shown to possess strong ideology giving the organization with a reason for existence that transcends mere financial profit, as well as the ability to preserve this ideology while skillfully adapting to changes in the environment.
James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, Harper Business, 1994.

The Individualized Corporation	How to instill initiative and entrepreneurial spirit in a vast organization? The authors offer an answer in the form of a customized corporate model, built from their observations of corporations like ABB, General Electric, 3M, and McKinsey. One important dimension is composed of the values promoted by the company, such as self-discipline, confidence, coaching, etc.
C. Bartlett and S. Ghoshal, Haper Collins, 1998.