Culture: The New Black

Book chapter, 2016

To compete in today’s fast-changing world, a firm must have a strong corporate culture of the appropriate kind. This chapter defines what a culture is—in short, it is a set of shared beliefs about what the world is like, what is valued, and how things should be done—and from there, the chapter describes the typical attributes of a vibrant innovation-oriented culture. Such a culture enables the firm to compete for top talent as well as produce winning products. Much of the material here comes directly from the authors’ interviews and observations of leading Silicon Valley companies. Topics covered include major influences on corporate culture and steps taken by these leading firms to build and maintain their cultures.