Key Terms
Organizational culture
Shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs defining an organization's nature.
Developed by
Charles A. O'Reilly III, Jennifer Chatman, and David F.
Purpose
Assess person-organization fit — whether an employee's values and assumptions match the company's culture.
Framework
Every organization can be described by one (or more) of seven types.
Source
2016 Robert Half Management Resources study of 300 senior managers — most change efforts failed due to broken or inadequ
Diversity
Inclusion of employees who differ across race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, gender, age, disab
Historical context
Before the 1950s-60s, hiring in the US was largely based on gender, race, social status, and religion. Workplace diversi
Federal protected classes (legally required)
Race, color, religion/creed, national origin/ancestry, gender, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information (in
Reason
One wrong cultural hire corrupts the culture at scale as the org grows. The leader's hiring decisions are replicated by
Corporate culture
Organizational culture applied specifically to a business context.
OCP (Organizational Culture Profile)
Seven-dimension framework by O'Reilly, Chatman, and Caldwell; assesses person-organization fit.
Person-organization fit
Degree to which an employee's values match the organization's cultural values.
Onboarding
Structured new employee orientation; primary mechanism for transmitting culture to new hires.
Sense of urgency
Leadership technique for initiating change; frames change as necessary for survival, not optional improvement.
Role modeling
Leader visibly embodies the desired change to demonstrate what it looks like and signal genuine commitment.