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Changing an Organization's Culture Under New Leadership

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Abstract

Turning around and changing an organization's culture does not happen by chance. The purpose of this paper is to offer insights into what is needed for an organization to successfully transform itself from a culture and experience that does not support individual ethical behavior. The recent bond trading scandal at Salomon Brothers will be used to demonstrate that a successful ethical turnaround does not just happen spontaneously. In particular, we argue that new leadership, altering policies, structure, behavior, and beliefs are paramount to successfully change to an organizational culture that supports ethical behavior. Schein's five primary mechanisms available to leaders for embedding and reinforcing culture will be used to systematically analyze efforts to change Salomon Brothers' culture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Business Administration, College of William and Mary, Willimsburg, VA, 23187-8795, U.S.A.

    Ronald R. Sims

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  1. Ronald R. Sims
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Sims, R.R. Changing an Organization's Culture Under New Leadership. Journal of Business Ethics 25, 65–78 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006093713658

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