In the following description of one company’s culture, Schein (1990; 112) argues that it is possible for a group to hold conflicting values that manifest themselves in inconsistent behaviour while having complete consensus on underlying assumptions.

The Action Company is a rapidly growing, high-technology manufacturing company. Its founder manages it: he began the company thirty years ago, and holds strong beliefs and values.

A visitor to the company would notice the open office layout, and the high degree of informality, frenetic activity, confrontation, conflict, and fighting in meetings. There is an obvious lack of status symbols, such as parking spaces for senior managers or executive dining rooms. There is a sense of high energy and emotional involvement, with people staying late in the office and expressing excite¬ ment about their work. The general view appears to be that hard work, innovation, and rapid solu¬ tions to problems are essential to this rapidly growing high-technology company. New employees are carefully screened. When an employee fails, he or she is assigned to another task, rather than fired or punished.

The company operates on several critical and coordinated assumptions, as follows.

1. Individuals are assumed to be the source of all innovation and productivity.

2. Truth can only be determined by pitting fully involved individuals against each other to debate ideas until only one idea survives. An idea will not be implemented unless everyone involved in its implementation has been convinced of the validity of the idea.

3. Every individual must think for themselves and will ‘do the right thing’ -even if that means disobeying the boss or violating a company policy.

4. What makes it possible for people to live in this high-conflict environment is the assumption that the company is one big family, the members of which will take care of one another and protect each other even if some make mistakes or have bad ideas.

The organization appears, then, to tolerate extremely high degrees of conflict without destroying or demotivating its employees.

Questions

1. Is it your experience of organizations that ideas are only Implemented If everyone Is convinced of the validity of the idea?
2. If not, what is more usual in your experience?
3. Is this an attractive idea? What might be its disadvantages?