J. Steven Picou

Culture Traps

 

Allan Kennedy may have written the book on corporate cultures, but his naive attempt to create one reflects the spate of faddish misinformation sold to American corporations during the past five years ("That's Easy for You to Say," June). Corporate cultures exist within the framework of corporate structures. Kennedy's attempt to create a culture was, in reality, an experiment in formulating a nonhierarchical corporate structure. But both corporate culture and corporate structure must be managed within the context of the business environment and corporate goals.

Corporate leaders should be wary of this type of drugstore behavioral science during a time when the effective utilization of human resources is critical for both profits and corporate survival.