Schein’s typology raises our awareness of how visible aspects of culture can convey messages about the culture that, while helpful in interpretation, can be difficult to decipher. A common model that helps to access culture at this level is the ‘cultural web’ (Johnson and Scholes, 2006).
By interrogating each aspect of the web, evidence of the existence and nature of the culture can be gathered, for example:
Stories – What stories do people tell of success and failure in the organisation? What stories are told to new recruits or external stakeholders?
Rituals and routines – What is celebrated in the company? What happens when people exit the organisation? What happens if someone succeeds or fails?
Symbols – What is the company jargon? What is considered a status symbol? What are the perks of the job? What is the logo? What does it convey?
Organisational structures – Is the structure flat or hierarchical? What emphasis is there on formal or informal ways of getting things done?
Control systems – How tightly controlled is the company? How are success and failure reported? Who exercises the control in the company?
Power structures – Who has the real power in the organisation? Who are the role models?
How is power used? Who has influence?
• Choose an organisation with which you are familiar – perhaps the university at which you are studying, or the business in which you work.
• Consider each category in turn. What does the overall picture tell you about the nature of the culture in that organisation?

– Symbols

– Stories

– Power structures

– Rituals and routines

– Control systems

– Organisational structures.