Author Description

In The Character of a Corporation Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones draw on fifteen years of research and consulting with high-profile companies such as Unilever, Polygram, Heineken, and Johnson & Johnson to present a powerful methodology for assessing and transforming one's corporate culture. Utilizing two well-established sociological concepts - sociability and solidarity - to explore the yin and yang of human dynamics within corporations, Goffee and Jones have created a highly original, fully functional framework by which to better understand corporate culture. The Character of a Corporation successfully quantifies the notoriously amorphous concept of culture, distilling it into a diagnostic test that managers can use to identify which of four (networked, mercenary, fragmented, communal) basic cultural forms prevail within their department, team, or organization. Offering substantive analysis, vivid examples, and pragmatic solutions, The Character of a Corporation explores how a company's character can make the difference between short-term burnout and a sustainable long-term edge.