The term “corporate culture” refers to an organization's value system. Managerial philosophies, workplace practices, and organizational network are included in the concept of corporate culture. Tyson Food's corporate culture is reflected in the fact that everyone—even CEO Don Tyson— wears clothes of a yellowish brown colour on the job.

The leaders who developed the company and the corporate culture typically shape the corporate culture. One generation of employees pass on a corporate culture to newer employees. Sometimes this is part of formal training. New managers who attend McDonald's Hamburger University may learn skills in management, but they also pick up the basics of the organization's corporate culture. Employees can absorb corporate culture through informal contacts as well, by talking with other workers and through their experiences on the job.

Corporate culture has a major impact on the success of an organization. In organizations with strong cultures, everyone knows and supports the organizations' objectives. In those with weak cultures, no clear sense of purpose exists. In fact, the authors of the classic book In Search of Excellence concluded the presence of a strong corporate culture was the single common thread among many diverse but highly successful companies such as General Electric and McDonald's.

Management expert Peter Duckers feels that, rather than trying to change the existing culture, managers should focus on changing employees and corporate practices. For instance, change the reward system—or develop a new one—to recognize some effective new practices. When employees realize that the organization really does reward the new approach, they will adopt it much more quickly.

As you can imagine, changing a company's corporate culture can be very difficult. But some managers try to do just that when they feel the current culture is weak, or when the organization's objectives change and the old culture no longer fits. Sometimes they are obliged to change the corporate culture because the competitive situation of the company changes. For instance, electric utilities, which once had their profits guaranteed by public regulation, now face more competition than ever. Firms that were competing against other American companies now find themselves fighting competitors from overseas, too.

Whether one wants to change an organization culture or not, it is important to choose managers and employees whose personal styles fit the organization's goals.

According to the passage, corporate culture ________.

In McDonald's Hamburger University, new managers ________.

If an organization has a strong corporate culture, ________.

One reason why some managers try to change a company's corporate culture is that ________.

What is the writer's purpose in writing this article?