Walking the Middle Line: Organizational Culture Work in Sport

Abstract

Organizational culture is typically perceived a variable that organizations “have” that can be manipulated for a competitive advantage. Conversely, some scholars hold the view that organizations “are” the culture and are consistently and dynamically shaped by members. Drawing from 20 months of organizational culture work in a military sports team, we illustrate how SPPs might go beyond a functionalist approach to organizational culture work. We establish our own stance on the organizational culture debate and describe our work across five phases. We conclude by offering several recommendations for practitioners working on organizational culture.