The concept of culture is in itself a social concept. Therefore it follows that the concept of organisational culture should be viewed as the social context of an organisation and is an interpretation of the way the organisation behaves. However, according to Iain Mangham (Power and performance in Organisations, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1986, pp.1-9.), there is no such thing as organisational behaviour, there is only the collective behaviour of individuals. Mangham says "Terms such as group and organisation are simply abstractions from the behaviour of individuals, summaries of scores of pieces of individual behaviour distributed in a particular time and space".

However, "organisational culture" is a scientifically accepted concept used to define and described the collective individual behaviour within the organisation. This collective behaviour of individuals is guided in the social context by issues such as shared personal values, shared beliefs, rituals, etc. The culture within the organisation has significant impact on the ability of the organisation to produce efficiently. Hence t

Let us go back and look at culture in terms of our interpretation of human beings and organisations. Ultimately, individuals can only achieve what they are capable of conceiving, and culture is the set of attitudes and beliefs along with their resultant behaviour that make up what is conceptually possible. Or, to say it another way, your state, beliefs and world view lead to particular actions or behaviour and these actions and behaviours lead to the results you get.

It is simply not possible to guide any group of people, whether it be a family, club, business, corporation or nation, towards a common goal and guarantee a level of predictable results, without taking into account and having the skill to manage the culture which exists and the ability to generate the culture which will be necessary to achieve organisational objectives.

Schein in no way qualifies this statement. His experience is that performance, successful or otherwise, at any level, "cannot" be understood unless we have the skill of assessing and comprehending the nuances of the culture surrounding and giving rise to the results being generated.

"As individuals come into contact with organisations, they come into contact with dress norms, stories people tell about what goes on, the organisation's formal rules and procedures, its informal codes of behaviour, rituals, tasks, pay systems, jargon and jokes only understood by insiders and so on. These elements are some of the manifestations of organisational culture. When cultural members interpret the meanings of these manifestations, their perceptions, memories, beliefs, experiences, and values will vary, so interpretations will differ - even of the same phenomenon. The patterns or configurations of these interpretations, and the ways they are enacted, constitute culture."

Put simply, culture is the set of attitudes and behaviours that are prevailing, in a group or organisation at any given time. From the perspective of those involved, it is "the way we do things here" and, though usually unspoken and unrecorded (and, more often that not, completely unnoticed), it is nevertheless the single most powerful force in defining the group and its capabilities.

John Billsbury - The Effective Manager (Sage Publishing, 1996), A very readable book following the logic of the entire chain of management responsibilities with practical case studies and academic references.

Bass and Avolio underscore this when they say, "Because culture constrains strategy, a company must analyse its culture and learn to manage within its boundaries or, if necessary, change it if that company wants to have control of its strategic development".

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