The impact of corporate culture on the execution of strategy at a telecommunications company

Corporate culture can be either an asset or a liability to an organization depending on the nature of the internal and external environments within which a company finds itself. This paradox can pose a daunting obstacle for those organizations seeking to navigate increasingly competitive industries. In this paper we study a telecommunications company faced with the need to develop a sustainable high-performance culture yet burdened with an aging, unionized workforce among other challenges. We consider organizational culture theories by Beer and Schein before concluding that the environment must first be stabilized before integrating Beer's organizational capabilities to complement the already ongoing economic value driven change. The objective of this initiative is to further harness the human potential within the company and leverage not just the technical skills and experience but the attitudes, beliefs, and values that will confer long-term competitive advantage.