Organizational Culture

Definition - What does Organizational Culture mean?

Organizational culture refers to the philosophies, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and practices that define an organization. The organizational culture may reflect characteristics that differentiate one company from another, ranging from internal policies and procedures to public relations and customer interactions. Organizational culture influences the day-to-day experience of employees as well as the public perception of a company. A company’s culture is often closely related to its brand image, with each reinforcing and informing the other.

In the business world, organizational culture is also commonly called corporate culture.

Zideate explains Organizational Culture

An understanding of organizational culture is critical to marketers for two reasons:

  1. As an employee, consultant or contractor, organizational culture can have a significant impact on working relationships, procedures and employee-employer interactions.
  2. As a marketer, organizational culture can have a direct influence on how a company is marketed. The culture of a company often influences its marketing messages and strategies.

For example, a Silicon Valley start-up will likely have a culture quite different from that of a Wall Street financial firm. These cultural differences can affect every employee in an organization, but understanding them is especially important to marketers. Whereas a tech start-up may use social media, viral videos and "edgy" messaging, a venerable financial institution will likely express a more conservative voice and rely on traditional channels such as press releases and print advertising.

A thorough understanding of a company’s organizational culture - including its key values, mission statement, business practices and differentiating factors - is a critical part of crafting the ideal marketing strategy to meet an employer’s or client’s needs. Whether drafting copy for a website or outlining a long-term, company-wide marketing plan, the marketing professional will benefit from taking organizational culture into consideration.

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