Culture
There are a number of features that contribute to business culture.
Vision, mission and business values / ethos
These often underpin business culture as they provide direction and give a sense of what a company is like. Vision is the aspiration of the business – what the business wants to achieve. Its mission is its aims and objectives.
Business ethos or values are about what the business thinks is important.
Policies and procedures
Some businesses have a certain way of operating and the policies and procedures of the business reflect that. In local government organisations for example, there are a number of policies about how to operate.
Management styles
We will explore management styles later in the unit. These approaches partly come from the personality of the manager but may also be affected by the culture of the company and the type of organisation it is. Management often goes hand in hand with business culture. An organisation like the military, for example, which has a hierarchical culture, may put much more emphasis on control.
Workforce structure
The way people are organised within an organisation will have an impact on the culture.
We looked at business structures in Exploring How Businesses are Organised module and you can follow this link to remind yourself of the different types of structures and their potential impact on management.