Corporate culture: its value as a resource for competitive advantage

Purpose The purpose of this research study is to investigate the application of the resource‐based view to a construct of organizational culture, doing so in the context of the generic models of business strategy. Design/methodology/approach The original research underlying this paper was an empirical study of 311 organizational sub‐units, comprising over 2,600 individual respondents. The measures consisted of two data collection instruments: a valid and reliable survey instrument (the Organizational Culture Inventory; OCI), and an Executive Manager Interview form designed for this research project. Findings Although the author has all of the research results in terms of statistical results, for the practitioner readership of this journal, the results are restated the results in conceptual, not statistical, terms. The findings included that adaptive, flexible (technically “constructive” cultures) appear to be positively related to desirable outcomes (including quality of the firm's products and services), regardless of the type of strategy deployed. Research limitations/implications The results suggest that to become a high‐performance organization, key members need to understand their business strategy and create an adaptive, flexible, constructive culture that will facilitate the implementation of the business strategy. Originality/value This research fills a void in the area of empirical studies testing the linkage between business strategy and organizational culture.