Cultural Complexity in Organizations

Inherent Contrasts and Contradictions

The multiple-cultures perspective advocated in this book suggests that culture in organizational settings is more complex, pluralistic, diverse and contradictory than previously acknowledged. Contributors address culture at various levels including national, industrial and organizational. Issues covered include: implicit managerial understandings and overt practices; the growth and decline of organizations with a focus on culture, managerial control strategies and subculture formation; change and temporary reconciliation; factors that influence homogeneity and heterogeneity and that contribute to a strong corporate culture; and issues of gender, ethnicity and social and organizational identity as concepts that may foster a better understanding of the complexities inherent in handling multiple-cultural identities.

A large variety of different and non-traditional research settings across industries are represented in this book, including: the Korean company Samsung; a car plant in Slovenia; a US software developer; a Dutch amusement park; Hewlett-Packard's British operation; and an airline (SAS).