Product Description

In this third edition of his classic book, Edgar Schein shows how to transform the abstract concept of culture into a practical tool that managers and students can use to understand the dynamics of organizations and change. Organizational pioneer Schein updates his influential understanding of culture--what it is, how it is created, how it evolves, and how it can be changed. Focusing on today's business realities, Schein draws on a wide range of contemporary research to redefine culture, offers new information on the topic of occupational cultures, and demonstrates the crucial role leaders play in successfully applying the principles of culture to achieve organizational goals. He also tackles the complex question of how an existing culture can be changed--one of the toughest challenges of leadership. The result is a vital resource for understanding and practicing organizational effectiveness.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92496 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.25 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Review
“This easy-to-read, practical guide is packed full of ideas, tools and techniques for influencing culture…” (Health Service Journal, 21st October 2004)

"Professional groups maintain their authority by…having specialised language, rituals and rules (Schein, 1992)." (Nursing Times, September 2006)

From the Back Cover
In this third edition of his classic book, Edgar Schein shows how to transform the abstract concept of culture into a practical tool that managers and students can use to understand the dynamics of organizations and change.

Organizational pioneer Schein updates his influential understanding of culture–what it is, how it is created, how it evolves, and how it can be changed. Focusing on today’s business realities, Schein draws on a wide range of contemporary research to redefine culture, offers new information on the topic of occupational cultures, and demonstrates the crucial role leaders play in successfully applying the principles of culture to achieve organizational goals. He also tackles the complex question of how an existing culture can be changed–one of the toughest challenges of leadership. The result is a vital resource for understanding and practicing organizational effectiveness.

Praise for Prior Editions of

"Worth reading again and again and again."
–Booklist

"An organizational development pioneer uses an anthropological approach to address a leader’s role in shaping group and organizational dynamics."
–Knowledge Management

"[Schein] is, to use an overworked word, a guru, the recognized expert in the field."
–Inside Business

About the Author
Edgar H. Schein is Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus and a senior lecturer at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is founding editor of the journal of the Society for Organizational Learning, and author of numerous books, including The Corporate Culture Survival Guide.