Foreword

Pardon my cynicism, but at this point in my life, the last thing I expect from a publication on organizational culture is to be impressed. Sure, I anticipate a few nuggets of useful information or I wouldn’t bother to open a book at all, but I’ve learned it is best to keep my expectations low when browsing this genre. My skepticism is not so much an indictment of the authors who brave these deep waters as much as a recognition that this stone has been turned many times with little new to show for it in recent years, aside from a few notable exceptions.

Also, when I first received this particular manuscript for review, I thought the authors were asking for trouble because of the title they had chosen. With Tangible Culture on the cover, I was sure their collective necks were stuck out dangerously far. First, there is a claim associated with a tag like this. It implies a promise to help the reader grasp organizational culture as something other than the amorphous, nebulous enigma it has been throughout most leaders’ careers. In addition, to live up to the headline hype, not only must the concept of culture come across as grounded and concrete, but the writing must also be relevant to the real world. To stand up against the title’s portend, the book must come across to the reader as accessible, explicit, and substantive; but beyond that, it must be germane to the accelerated pace and advanced sophistication leaders contend with every day.

I thought the topic and the choice of title put the authors at risk, but, on the other hand, I knew that if they could carry through on their assertion, there was an eager readership waiting for the next meaningful advance in understanding this convoluted subject. Meeting either of the implied undertakings the title suggests (making culture discernible and making the reading of it palpable) would justify the reader’s investment, but accomplishing them together would make this book a welcome relief from the many others on the same subject that have more insight and significance in their dust jacket’s description than in their actual contents. I’m happy to declare that the authors have delivered on both.

Sara Moulton Reger and her associates have taken some important steps toward uncloaking the mystery that has surrounded corporate culture since it was first recognized as a key variable in organizational transformation. Tangible Culture offers the following:

Solid conceptual support for the positions it advocates

Easy-to-understand approaches, techniques, and application stories

The combination is what brings the title’s promise of something “tangible” into focus.

Assuming that changing corporate culture is of more than a passing interest to you and that you are or soon will be involved in orchestrating a significant cultural shift for your organization (or one you are serving), I predict you will want to keep this book close by when it’s time to produce measurable results.

Daryl Conner
Author of the best-selling books Managing at the Speed of Change and Leading at the Edge of Chaos