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  • June 2019 (Revised November 2019)
  • Technical Note
  • HBS Case Collection

Sustaining Corporate Culture in a Growing Organization

By: Dennis Campbell and Tatiana Sandino
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:11
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Abstract

An organization’s culture can be a significant source of sustainable competitive advantage. For the organization, it can attract job candidates who fit and align employees working in different teams around common goals. For employees, a strong culture can generate pride, satisfaction, and purpose. However, a strong organizational culture can easily decay with a company’s growth as new employees join the firm and business units develop cultures of their own. This technical note proposes that the growth a company can sustain while preserving its culture is governed by its ability to attract employees who fit with its purpose and values and to preserve and foster this alignment over time. To achieve this, an effective leader must formally articulate the purpose and values of the company and rely on four management systems that can be collectively thought of as a “North STAR” orienting managers’ and employees’ attention in the intended direction. This note details these organizational capabilities and management systems and describes the steps that successful companies take in order to preserve a strong culture through periods of growth.

Keywords

Organizational Culture; Growth and Development; Mission and Purpose; Values and Beliefs; Management Systems

Citation

Campbell, Dennis, and Tatiana Sandino. "Sustaining Corporate Culture in a Growing Organization." Harvard Business School Technical Note 119-109, June 2019. (Revised November 2019.)
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About The Authors

Dennis Campbell

Accounting and Management
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Tatiana Sandino

Accounting and Management
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Related Work

    • June 2019 (Revised November 2019)
    • Faculty Research

    Sustaining Corporate Culture in a Growing Organization

    By: Dennis Campbell and Tatiana Sandino
Related Work
  • Sustaining Corporate Culture in a Growing Organization By: Dennis Campbell and Tatiana Sandino
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