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CHAPTER 14: SHAPING CULTURE AND VALUES 449
they were able to bring new products on line more quickly, work bugs out of new
designs more accurately, and achieve higher quality because of superb employee com-
mitment and collaboration.
It is the end of May, and John Tyler, president of Acme, has just announced the
acquisition of Omega Electronics. Both management teams are proud of their cultures
and have unflattering opinions of the other’s. Each company’s customers are rather
loyal, and their technologies are compatible, so Tyler believes a combined company will
be even more effective, particularly in a time of rapid change in both technology and
products.
The Omega managers resisted the idea of an acquisition, but the Acme president is
determined to unify the two companies quickly, increase the new firm’s marketing posi-
tion, and revitalize product lines—all by year end.
Sources: Adapted from John F. Veiga, “The Paradoxical Twins: Acme and Omega Electronics,” in John F. Veiga
and John N. Yanouzas, The Dynamics of Organization Theory (St. Paul: West Publishing, 1984), pp. 132–138;
and “Alpha and Omega,” Harvard Business School Case 9-488-003, published by the President and Fellows of
Harvard College, 1988.

QUESTIONS
1. Using the competing values model in Exhibit 14.3, what type of culture (adapt-
ability, achievement, clan, bureaucratic) would you say is dominant at Acme? At
Omega? What is your evidence?
2. Is there a culture gap? Which type of culture do you think is most appropriate for
the newly merged company? Why?
3. If you were John Tyler, what techniques would you use to integrate and shape the
culture to overcome the culture gap?

References

1 Chuck Salter, “The Problem with Most Banks Is That They Abuse 7 This discussion of the levels of culture is based on Edgar H. Schein,
Their Customers Every Day. We Want to Wow Ours,” Fast Company Organizational Culture and Leadership, 2nd ed. (San Francisco:
(May 2002), pp. 80–91. Jossey-Bass, 1992), pp. 3–27.
2 Jeremy Kahn, “What Makes a Company Great?” Fortune (October 8 Chris Blackhurst, “Sir Stuart Hampson,” Management Today
26, 1998), p. 218; James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, Built (July 2005), pp. 48–53.
to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (New York: 9 John P. Kotter and James L. Heskett, Corporate Culture and
HarperBusiness, 1994); and James C. Collins, “Change is Good—But Performance (New York: The Free Press, 1992), p. 6.
First Know What Should Never Change,” Fortune (May 29, 1995), 10 Peter B. Scott-Morgan, “Barriers to a High-Performance Business,”
p. 141. Management Review (July 1993), pp. 37–41.
3 T. E. Deal and A. A. Kennedy, The New Corporate Cultures: 11 Arthur Ciancutti and Thomas Steding, “Trust Fund,” Business 2.0
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Reengineering (Perseus Books, 1999). 12 Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz, “And the Winners Are,”
4 Yoash Wiener, “Forms of Value Systems: A Focus on Organizational Fortune (January 23, 2006), pp. 89–108; Daniel Roth, “My Job
Effectiveness and Culture Change and Maintenance,” Academy at the Container Store,” Fortune (January 10, 2000), pp. 74–78;
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Elusive Concept,” Academy of Management Executive 3 (1989), Appeal (July 23, 2005), p. C1.

pp. 229–236; Linda Smircich, “Concepts of Culture and Organiza- 14 Bernard Arogyaswamy and Charles M. Byles, “Organizational
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of Organizational Culture on Communication and Information,” 15 Anita Raghavan, Kathryn Kranhold, and Alexei Barrionuevo,
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45, no. 2 (February 1990), pp. 109–119. 16 Kotter and Heskett, Corporate Culture and Performance.