What is the specific meaning of corporate culture?

Corporate culture refers to the values with corporate characteristics that are gradually formed in practice and recognized and observed by all employees. The sum of business principles, business style, enterprise spirit, ethics and development goals.

According to the internationally recognized statement, corporate culture is the behavior of individuals in a specific corporate environment. Corporate culture serves the survival and development of enterprises, so the characteristics of enterprise management are also reflected in corporate culture.

There are good reasons for the existence of corporate culture:

* the enterprise's own needs

Corporate culture is one of the basic elements of corporate philosophy. Especially for domestic companies in the transition from rule of man to rule of law at this stage, a healthy corporate culture will weaken or even replace the excessive existence of personal influence in enterprises, and create conditions for the stable development of enterprises.

* the need to implement the management system

There is no perfect management system. The consequences of various loopholes in the system depend entirely on the loyalty of employees to the enterprise.

* The need for talent competition

Recognition of the same value of * * * will make employees have a stable sense of belonging, thus attracting and retaining talents.

* The need of market competition

Good and healthy corporate culture can improve efficiency, reduce expenses, enhance brand gold content and increase product value, thus enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises. Because the factors that affect the pricing of competitive products in the market include brand value besides the tangible value such as general production cost, and the influencing factors of brand value include the image of companies and employees affected by corporate culture.

The core of corporate culture is values, which are manifested in behavior, that is, the cohesion of the enterprise, the loyalty of employees to the enterprise, the sense of responsibility, pride, mental outlook and professional behavior norms, so cultural changes will bring about changes in behavior patterns.

Corporate culture is characterized by openness, stages and development. If we can't accurately grasp these characteristics of corporate culture in business, it will bring very serious consequences to the business activities of enterprises.

5. Corporate culture can be divided into broad sense and narrow sense. Enterprise culture in a broad sense refers to the material culture and spiritual culture with its own characteristics created by enterprises; In a narrow sense, corporate culture is the integration of business purposes, values and moral codes of conduct formed by enterprises with their own personality.

6. Corporate culture is an important part of social and cultural system. It is the comprehensive reflection and expression of national culture and modern consciousness in the enterprise, the enterprise characteristics and group consciousness formed under the influence of national culture and modern consciousness, and the code of conduct produced by this consciousness.

7.( 1) Corporate culture is a norm gradually formed among working groups.

(2) Corporate culture is the main values that enterprises believe in, and it is the condensation of far-reaching values, myths and heroic symbols.

(3) The purpose of corporate culture is to guide enterprises to formulate policies for employees and customers.

(4) Corporate culture is the "principle" for enterprises to survive and compete, and it is also the "internal rule" that new employees must master if they want to be employed by enterprises.

(5) Corporate culture is the feeling or atmosphere conveyed by the layout of objects in the enterprise, as well as the way for members of the enterprise to communicate with customers or other external members.

(6) Corporate culture is a corporate culture composed of traditional atmosphere, which means the company's values, such as enterprising, defensive or flexible-these values constitute the norms of the company's employees' vitality, opinions and behaviors. Managers practice and instill these norms into employees and pass them on from generation to generation.

(7) Corporate culture is a certain cultural concept and historical tradition formed in an enterprise, which has the same values, ethics and life information, unifies various internal forces under the same guiding ideology and business philosophy, and converges in the same direction.

(8) Corporate culture is a mixture of economic significance and cultural significance, that is, the values and codes of conduct formed in the corporate world have a cultural impact on people and society. It does not refer to knowledge cultivation, but to people's attitude towards knowledge; Not profit-seeking, but profit-seeking psychology; It is not interpersonal relationship, but the philosophy of dealing with people embodied in interpersonal relationship. Corporate culture is something that permeates all the activities of the enterprise and is the virtue of the enterprise.

(9) Corporate culture refers to the basic information of enterprise organization, and it is the basic viewpoint of checking the internal and external environment of enterprises with basic values. It is the code of conduct and value system that all members of the enterprise abide by and believe in, and it is a philosophical concept that guides people to do their work.

(10) Corporate culture is a spiritual wealth and material form with corporate characteristics created by enterprises in their production, operation and management activities under certain social and historical conditions. It includes cultural ideas, values, enterprise spirit, standards, codes of conduct, historical traditions, enterprise system, cultural environment, enterprise products and so on. Among them, values are the core of corporate culture.

corporate culture

1. The concept and origin of corporate culture

Corporate culture refers to the sum of * * * common consciousness, values, professional ethics, codes of conduct and standards formed through social practice under certain social and economic conditions and followed by all members. It is a unique cultural management mode with value as the core formed by an enterprise or organization in its own development process. Corporate culture is the product of the combination of social culture and organizational management practice. Corporate culture is a people-oriented management concept and a management method with the help of cultural power. It can be said that corporate culture is the soul of an enterprise. An enterprise without its own corporate culture often goes with the flow and its employees have no sense of ownership. Such an enterprise cannot last long. Looking at modern enterprise management at home and abroad, it has changed from material-centered management to people-centered management, thus more and more highlighting the role and strength of people in the survival and development of enterprises.

From the end of 19 to the beginning of this century, western industrialization developed to the stage where large machines and production lines were the main modes of production. Business operators are mainly concerned with production efficiency and input-output ratio. Under this condition, Taylor's scientific management style and Weber's application of "bureaucracy" have led to a series of rational scientific management practices. However, they are all based on the hypothesis of "rational economic man", which holds that people's behavior motivation is to satisfy their own interests and the purpose of work is to. Scientific management theory had a far-reaching impact on the improvement of production efficiency and industrialization process at that time. In the 1920s and 1930s, "Hawthorne Experiment" made people pay attention to the influence of interpersonal relationships, informal groups and other factors on organizational benefits, and began to pay attention to people's social needs, including self-realization, which resulted in a series of incentive theories. These theories emphasize the importance of interpersonal relationship in management, and based on human sociality, put forward the hypothesis that the concept of "social man" replaces "economic man". The application of system theory and the development of contingency theory in 1950s and 1960s led to the "strategic fever" and "systematic fever" of western organizational management in 1970s, that is, the focus shifted from internal management to strategic management, emphasizing the coordination and adaptability of organizational structure and system. In the early 1980s, with the rise of Japanese enterprises, people noticed the influence of cultural differences on enterprise management, and then discovered the integration of social culture and organizational management-enterprise culture, which means that when the enterprise develops to a certain stage, enterprise leaders educate new members with their values and business ideas formed in the entrepreneurial stage, and in the process, they integrate the value identification and behavior of all employees into a unified value system and code of conduct, thus forming a unique cultural management model, with cultural. It can be seen that corporate culture is the product of the integration of social culture and organizational management practice, and it is a re-examination of the relationship between organizational cultural value, business philosophy, management process and long-term performance after the assumptions of "beneficiary", "social person", "self-fulfilling person" and "complex person" in western management theory.

2. The development of corporate culture in China and several misunderstandings.

As early as 1950s, some large state-owned enterprises in China had their own unique management concepts, such as Angang Constitution and the annual Iron Man Spirit. Although they were not given the concept of corporate culture at that time, they actually played the value function and integration function of corporate culture. Later, with people's objective understanding of the role of spiritual incentives and the use of material incentives, people quickly woke up from the zirconium controlled by the mind, and these "corporate cultures" gradually declined because they failed to adapt to the changes of the times. From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, with the further deepening of China's reform and opening up, corporate culture, as a management mode, was introduced to China enterprises in the process of introducing foreign capital and foreign advanced technology and management. For a time, many enterprises established corporate culture in a blustery way, which set off a corporate culture upsurge nationwide. Some enterprises imitate some forms of foreign-funded enterprise management and corporate culture, such as engaging in literary activities, shouting slogans, unifying clothes and logos, etc. Some enterprises directly invite advertising companies to do ci image design, thinking that this is to shape corporate culture. Although these are the general ways to shape corporate culture, most enterprises ignore the connotation and foundation under these forms, which leaves a misleading impression that corporate culture is only a cultural activity or corporate image design carried out by enterprises. It was not until the mid-1990s that the corporate culture craze in China gradually cooled down, and many star enterprises that rose in the corporate culture craze at that time also fell. What is the reason? In fact, during this period, some scholars expressed concern about the problems in the process of corporate culture construction, and they put forward the theory and practice of corporate culture and the misunderstanding of corporate culture construction. However, these problems did not attract enough attention at that time. Today, ten years later, when we look back and think calmly, it is not difficult to see several misunderstandings in the process of corporate culture construction in China:

1 Pay attention to the form of corporate culture and ignore the connotation of corporate culture. In the process of corporate culture construction in China, the most prominent problem is to blindly pursue the form of corporate culture and ignore the connotation of corporate culture. According to the hierarchical structure divided by Edgar Shane, the authority of corporate culture, the basic assumption is the core of corporate culture, followed by the value level, and then the code of conduct and behavior. Various forms of corporate culture, including symbols, heroes and activities, are at the top. It can be seen that corporate cultural activities and corporate ci image design are all manifestations of the surface of corporate culture. Corporate culture is a unique value system formed by instilling the basic values of enterprises in the process of starting and developing into all employees through education and integration. It is a series of norms and behaviors that affect enterprises' strategies to adapt to the market and deal with contradictions and conflicts within enterprises. It permeates the basic assumptions of human nature, values and world outlook formed by entrepreneurs in the process of socialization, and also condenses the business philosophy collectively formed by entrepreneurs in the process of starting a business. It is a relatively complete corporate culture to express these ideas and values through various activities and forms. If there is only a superficial form without showing the internal values and ideas, such a corporate culture is meaningless and unsustainable, so it cannot form a cultural driving force and has no far-reaching impact on the development of enterprises.

2 equate enterprise culture with enterprise spirit, and separate enterprise culture from enterprise management. Some entrepreneurs believe that corporate culture is a bible to shape enterprise spirit or enterprise, and has little to do with enterprise management. This understanding is very one-sided. Some scholars have pointed out that corporate culture takes culture as the means and management as the purpose. This understanding is reasonable, because both corporate organizations and public institutions belong to substantive organizations, which is different from the belief of the church. According to the production and operation situation and certain performance evaluation. Spiritual factors certainly play an important role in the cohesion, production efficiency and development of enterprises, but this influence does not work alone, it is penetrating. The business philosophy and values of an enterprise run through all aspects and the whole process of its business activities and management, and adapt to the changes of the enterprise environment, so it cannot be separated from enterprise management.

3. Regard enterprise culture as the direct application of traditional culture in enterprise management. This view holds that corporate culture is to manage enterprises with culture. For example, some entrepreneurs think that Confucianism should be used to manage enterprises, while others think that Laozi's theory should be used to manage enterprises. As the ideological representative of China culture, these theories are used to guide enterprise management and business philosophy, which should be said to have China characteristics. However, the crux of the problem lies in how to grasp the psychology of contemporary people with traditional culture, grasp the ever-changing market demand, and adjust the work incentives of China employees. This requires finding a suitable starting point and finding many concrete connections. For example, in the traditional culture of China, family relations and power dependence are emphasized, feelings and face are emphasized, and people-oriented and people-oriented are emphasized. These cultural factors and traditional ideas are applied to enterprise management to create a cultural atmosphere full of emotion and harmony, in which we can transcend human nature and realize the harmony between man and society and between man and nature. This should be said to highlight the characteristics of China. However, China's traditional cultural thought is full of philosophy and speculation, which can be described as two sides. When it is used to guide enterprise management practice, it needs to be transformed into specific code of conduct and business philosophy. In addition, there are many factors in China's traditional culture that are not conducive to the innovation and development of enterprises, such as being content with Changle and shooting at the head, which are all invisible killers to inhibit enterprise innovation. Besides, interpersonal communication is the most important way of communication for China people. Many entrepreneurs have long relied on the social network woven by interpersonal communication, that is, social capital, instead of focusing on enterprise innovation, thinking that they can also make money in this way, which will gradually form dependence on relationships and weaken the innovation ability of enterprises themselves. The popularity of this phenomenon has its social reasons. However, with the further deepening of system reform, the space for social capital expansion is getting narrower and narrower. After China's entry into WTO, the rules of the game in market competition have become more and more standardized, and it is inevitable that those enterprises that relish relying on social capital will be defeated. Therefore, we should distinguish between positive factors and negative factors in traditional culture, and we cannot simply do so. Corporate culture is not to appreciate social culture, but to manage enterprises with cultural atmosphere and cultural value and create value for enterprises and society.

4. Ignore the innovation and personalization of corporate culture. Corporate culture is a unique management mode of an enterprise under a certain cultural background, a personalized expression of the enterprise, not a standard unified mode, nor a slogan that caters to fashion. Throughout the corporate culture of many enterprises, all aspects are generally similar, but they lack distinctive personality characteristics and unique styles. In fact, each enterprise has different development process, different components and different competitive pressures, so its strategies to deal with the environment and ways to deal with internal conflicts will have their own characteristics, and they cannot be exactly the same. Also belonging to Japanese culture, Sony's corporate culture emphasizes pioneering and innovation, while Nissan's corporate culture emphasizes customer first; Also belonging to American culture, HP's corporate culture emphasizes adaptability to the market and environment, while ibm's corporate culture emphasizes respect and trust, and is good at using incentives. This shows that corporate culture is a unique cultural management mode determined by comprehensively considering various factors such as the development stage, development goal, business strategy and internal and external environment of the enterprise under a certain cultural background. Therefore, the form of corporate culture can be standardized, but its emphasis is different, its value connotation and basic assumptions are different, and the type and intensity of corporate culture are also different, which is why it constitutes the personalized characteristics of corporate culture.

3. How do China enterprises develop corporate culture?

Looking at the development of foreign corporate culture and the problems existing in the development of corporate culture in China, facing the arrival of 2 1 century and China's entry into wto, China's enterprises and China's economy are facing unprecedented challenges, and China's enterprises and enterprise management are also facing the severe task of integrating with internationalization, fierce competition among enterprises in the same industry and challenges brought by the global economy and the Internet age. In this case, the innovation of enterprise culture has become an inseparable and important part of enterprise innovation. To develop corporate culture with China characteristics, we need to grasp the development direction of corporate culture in China from both theory and practice, strengthen corporate culture research, put forward corporate culture theory with China characteristics, and strengthen the guidance of scientific theory on corporate culture construction practice. Only in this way can the development of corporate culture in China meet the needs of China's reform, opening up and modernization.

Specifically, we need to grasp the following three aspects: First, we should strengthen the study of corporate culture. From the discovery of foreign corporate culture phenomenon to the rapid development of corporate culture research in recent 20 years, they have taken a road of combining theoretical research with applied research and qualitative research with quantitative research. In the mid-1980s, after discussing the concept and structure of corporate culture, it immediately turned to the research on the internal mechanism that affects corporate culture, and the relationship between corporate culture and corporate management processes such as corporate leadership, organizational climate, human resources, corporate environment and corporate strategy, and then made a quantitative tracking study on the relationship between corporate culture and corporate performance. Quantitative research is to put forward a model for measuring, diagnosing and evaluating corporate culture on the basis of theoretical research on corporate culture, and then develop a series of scales to conduct in-depth research on corporate culture in an operable and quantitative way. 2 1 century, the study of corporate culture in China should adhere to the principle of combining theoretical research with applied research and qualitative research with quantitative research, focusing on the following three aspects: first, under the background of China culture, explore the basic theory of corporate culture in China, study the relationship between corporate culture and China traditional culture and contemporary social culture, and the relationship between corporate culture and corporate management, corporate environment, corporate development and corporate innovation, and put forward corporate culture theory with China characteristics; Second, strengthen the applied research of corporate culture, conduct empirical research on the measurement, diagnosis, evaluation and consultation of corporate culture, and promote the development of corporate culture practice in this process; Thirdly, it is not a one-time job to strengthen the follow-up study of corporate culture. It should be adjusted and changed in time with the development and change of enterprises in order to have a far-reaching impact on the long-term development of enterprises. Therefore, the value of tracing corporate culture cannot be underestimated. Second, we should correctly handle the relationship between corporate culture and social culture. As an integral part of social culture, corporate culture is not only a microcosm of social and cultural changes, but also guides market trends and social fashions through the ideas advocated by its new technologies and new products, changing people's lifestyles and concepts, thus injecting new vitality into the development of social culture and enriching its connotation. One of the ways in which social culture influences enterprise culture is to apply the basic assumptions, values, outlook on life and human world outlook formed in long-term social life to the process of enterprise development and enterprise management, so as to form a unique and relatively stable code of conduct, code of conduct, cultural atmosphere and cultural taste of enterprise products. This is an important form of social and cultural infiltration in the process of market economy operation. An open, adaptable and innovative corporate culture is obviously the source and foundation for the continuous progress and innovation of most successful enterprises, and such corporate culture comes from entrepreneurs' grasp of the direction of social development, from their influence on traditional culture and their profound understanding of the process of contemporary social and cultural changes, and from their thoughts and qualities formed in long-term social life. Without these profound social life accumulation, it is difficult to shape excellent corporate culture and grasp its development. Another way that social culture affects the development of corporate culture is the penetration of market and social environment. Different social cultures will affect people's value choice and adaptability to the market, and changes in social culture will also cause changes in people's value choice and adaptability to the market, affecting people's recognition of products and psychological needs. For example, since the 1990s, the consumption concept of urban residents in China has changed from paying attention to the use value of the product itself to paying more attention to the brand, after-sales service, environmental protection performance and upgrading prospect of the product on the basis of strict treatment of product quality. Personalization and diversification of products and services are increasingly welcomed by people. Therefore, enterprises must grasp the changing trend of social culture when shaping their own corporate culture and determining their business philosophy, and make corresponding adjustments in product target positioning, business strategy and new product research and development direction, so as to make products, businesses and social culture compatible. On this basis, enterprises can provide society with not only a product, but also a culture. The third is to pay attention to the influence of corporate environment changes on the development of corporate culture. 2 1 century is a rapidly changing era. The enterprise environment, including the technical environment, human resources environment, financial environment, investment environment and market demand environment, is the objective environment on which the enterprise development depends, which directly affects the short-term benefit and survival of the enterprise. In addition, there are soft environments for social development such as policies, legal systems, social evaluation, fair competition and social reputation, which are mainly controlled by human factors. The influence on the development of corporate culture seems to be implicit and indirect, but in fact it has a potential and profound impact on the long-term operating performance and competitiveness of enterprises. These environmental factors will present more complicated relations and unimaginable changes in 2 1 century. If an enterprise wants to be in an invincible position, it must make corresponding adjustments in development strategy, business strategy and management mode in time. The connotation of corporate culture should also reflect the challenges and pressures brought by the complexity and urgency of the environment, maintain a high degree of integration within the enterprise and have strong adaptability outside. Through the transformation of enterprise's leading values and business philosophy, we can promote the transformation of enterprise's development strategy and business strategy, make enterprise culture the source of enterprise innovation and development, and thus form the competitiveness of enterprise culture. Any management mode has its applicable conditions, advantages and disadvantages. As a cultural management mode, so is corporate culture.

The corporate culture phenomenon that attracted attention in the United States and Japan in the 1980s was the product of the economic and social development of Japan and the United States to a certain stage. At the same time, it is closely related to the modernization process in the post-industrial stage of western society and represents a trend of the development of western management theory. Because the effectiveness of a management model can't be separated from the matching mode of production and the development of social culture, we should correctly look at the social and economic conditions for the formation and development of foreign corporate culture, instead of simply affirming or denying the effectiveness of a certain management model, we should put it in the transformation of China's traditional culture and grasp the development trend of China's corporate culture in combination with the modernization process of China. In a word, the development of corporate culture in China must be based on China culture, combined with China's corporate management practice and modernization process, and at the same time, we should learn from foreign theories and methods on corporate culture research to build a socialist corporate culture with China characteristics.