Cultural typology

Cultural typology is a model developed by the American scientist Terrence E. Deal and the consultant and author Allan A. Kennedy to describe different organizational cultures . They describe culture as a two-dimensional model with the dimensions (financial) risk and feedback (the speed with which an activity turns out to be beneficial or disadvantageous). They gave the resulting four quadrants very graphic names, which are also listed here in English for this reason.

Cultural typology according to Deal and Kennedy		Risk :
		Low	High
Feedback and reward	fast	Work hard - Play hard Bread-and-games culture	Tough-Guy, Macho Culture All-or-nothing culture
	slowly	Process culture Process culture (or bureaucracy)	Bet-your-company Analytical-Project-Culture

Process Culture - process culture ( bureaucracy )

Characterized by low risk, i.e. H. Errors rarely occur, and when they do, they cost relatively little money and the fact that nobody really determines (can determine) whether a job has been done well or badly. This means that in the absence of success controls, the regulations are followed meticulously. Typical examples are authorities, the administrative area or company accounting.

Bet-Your-Company - Analytical-Project-Culture

Characterized by high risk and low / slow feedback. The result is activities that record and (allegedly) reduce the risk. Each screw is checked twice, each document is examined by four people for missing i-points. Typical examples are companies with extreme risk profiles (e.g. aircraft construction, oil industry) where the cost of failure jeopardizes the very existence of the company (consider the future of Airbus if the A380 had failed).

Work Hard, Play Hard - bread-and-games culture

A culture characterized by low risk and quick feedback. The seemingly problem-free culture that lacks both gloss and methodology. Typically in the production of bulk goods, it may be the most difficult culture to change.

Tough-Guy, Macho Culture - all-or-nothing culture

Despite the martial name, it is perhaps the most egalitarian and emancipated of the four cultures. Characterized by high risk and quick feedback, this is the culture where lightning careers are possible and where the crashes are just as rapid. Typical for the music business, coach of Bundesliga clubs, the stock exchange or the sales department in companies.

Deal & Kennedy developed this structure after their research in modern American companies such as Apple and McDonald’s . The main finding was that, despite largely identical technology and tasks (e.g. fast food), companies were able to differ significantly from one another and this sometimes led to competitive advantages . The model is used almost consistently in business administration as a quick analysis tool. Its ability to change cultures ( culture change ) is viewed as poor. After all, it is eye-catching and transparent enough to present it to an audience (e.g. management) who are not technically competent and to stimulate action.

swell

1. ↑ Terrence E. Deal, Allan A. Kennedy, Corporate Cultures, Perseus, 2000