Strategy is often a primary focus in business schools; however, culture is less understood. Culture involves a variety of contributing factors including a blend of attitudes, beliefs, mission, philosophy, and momentum that help to create and sustain a successful brand. It represents the vision, norms, symbols, beliefs, behaviors and traditions that are taught to new members of an organization. Organizational culture affects the way employees within an organization interact with one another and the people they serve.
Consistently ranked as great companies to work for, organizations like Zappos and Apple are both examples of companies with a distinguished culture and solid strategies. Although all companies have ups and downs, these have remained strong over a long period of time. An important factor in their success is their strong organizational culture.